A U.S. Capitol police officer died Thursday night from injuries he sustained when he had a pre-Trump crowd descend on the U.S. Capitol the previous day.
Police officer Brian D. Sicknick died Thursday around 9:30 p.m., Capitol police said in a statement. He has been with the agency since 2008.
Mr. Sicknick responded to the riots on Wednesday and was “injured while physically engaging in protest with protesters.” After sustaining the injuries, Mr. Sicknick returned to his ward office, collapsed and was taken to the hospital.
“The entire USCP division expresses its deepest sympathy with Officer Sicknick’s family and friends for their loss and mourns the loss of a friend and colleague,” the statement read. News reported earlier in the day about his death while he was apparently still life-supporting.
Murder investigators from the Metropolitan Police Department are involved in the case.
Early Friday morning, Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, a Democrat who runs the home equity subcommittee overseeing the Capitol Police budget, said in a Twitter post that his heart was broken over the death of mr. Sicknick.
“This tragic loss is a reminder of the courage of law enforcement that protects us every day,” he said. Ryan wrote.
Sicknick’s death brings the death toll from Wednesday’s chaos to five. One of the people involved in Trump’s racketeering, Ashli Babbitt, was shot dead in the building by a Capitol police officer as she climbed through a broken window leading to the speaker’s lobby. Three other people died after apparently experiencing medical emergencies in the vicinity of the Capitol, police said.
Officials said about 50 police officers were injured when the mob blocked barricades, objects, battered doors, windows and some of the officers trying to resist the oncoming crowd.
Police in Capitol reported 14 arrests during the raid, including two people detained for assaulting a police officer. Local police have arrested dozens of others, mostly for illegal entry and violations of the city’s Wednesday night clock.
Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund resigned on Thursday after being pressured by congressional leaders. The House and Senate gunmen also resigned.