A U.S. Capitol police officer died Thursday night from injuries sustained “while physically busy” with a pro-Trump crowd descending on the U.S. Capitol the previous day. to the authorities.
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.
The circumstances surrounding his death were not immediately clear, and Capitol police only said he “died of injuries he had on duty.”
At one point in the bed lamb – with the mob roaming the corridors of Congress as lawmakers are forced to hide under their desks – According to two law enforcers, Mr. Sicknick hit with a fire extinguisher.
“He returned to his branch office and collapsed,” Capitol police said in the statement. “He was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.”
The Washington Police Department’s homicide branch is one of several law enforcement agencies involved in an investigation into his death and the general circumstances of the violence at the Capitol.
Sicknick’s death brings the death toll from Wednesday’s chaos to five. One participant in the racketeering, Ashli Babbitt, was fatally shot by a Capitol police officer in the building as she climbed through a broken window leading to the speaker’s lobby. Three other people have died after allegedly experiencing medical emergencies in the vicinity of the Capitol, police said.
The loss of life underscored the failure of law enforcement to prevent the siege of the Capitol by a group of Trump supporters, incited by the president’s own words.
Lawmakers in both chambers and from both parties promised to find out how those responsible for the safety of the Capitol allowed a violent crowd to enter the building. House Democrats announced a ‘robust’ investigation into the breakdown of law enforcement.
Three of the most important security officials of Congress – Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund, Arms Sergeant Paul D. Irving and Senate Sergeant Michael C. Stenger announced their resignations on Thursday.
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The arms sergeants are responsible for security in the rooms and related office buildings, while Mr. Sund oversees about 2,000 Capitol police personnel – a force larger than that of many small towns.
Early Friday, Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio, a Democrat who runs the House Destinations subcommittee overseeing the Capitol Police budget, expressed sadness in a Twitter message about Mr. Sicknick’s death.
“This tragic loss is a reminder of the courage of law enforcement that protects us every day,” he said. Ryan wrote.
Dozens of police officers and emergency response personnel lay for a moment in silence in the streets next to the Capitol on Thursday night to kill Mr. To honor Sicknick. According to the videos of local reporters at the scene, they were sitting in silence during the Constitution and 3rd Street, while saluting in silence as a police raid for Mr. Sicknick.
The police force said in its own statement that “the entire USCP division expresses its deepest sympathy with Officer Sicknick’s family and friends over their loss, and regrets the loss of a friend and colleague.”
Officials said about 50 police officers were injured when the mob smashed barriers, objects, battered doors, windows and overpowered some of the officers trying to resist the oncoming crowd.
Capitol police reported 14 arrests during the raid, including two people accused of assaulting a police officer. Local police have arrested dozens of others, mostly in connection with illegal entry and violations of the city’s Wednesday night clock.
Emily Cochrane and Katie Benner contribution made.