Lawmakers and others held another memorial service for Capitol police officer Brian Sicknick in the Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, where he has been honored since Tuesday night after he died last month from injuries sustained during the January 6 riot at the building. which he helped defend.
There will be a delivery ceremony outside the steps of the Capitol before his remains are transported to the Arlington National Ceremony, where he will be buried.
House Chairman Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday made remarks to prominent guests, including members of the U.S. Capitol Police and DC Metropolitan Police Department, as well as the Secretary of Defense, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Mayor of DC, Muriel Bowser. The Air Force band singing sergeants sang a version of ‘America the Beautiful’.
House President Nancy Pelosi speaks during a ceremony commemorating Brian Sicknick, Capitol Police Officer, while an urn with his cremated remains lies in honor on a black draped table in downtown Capitol Rotunda, Wednesday, February 3, 2021 in Washington. . (Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post via AP, Pool)
“Through the heroism of Officer Sicknick and those who serve our country, God has poured out his grace on us, on America, from the sea … brotherhood … from the sea to the shining sea,” Pelosi said. “May it be a comfort to Officer Sicknick’s family that so many are mourning with them and praying for them during this sad time.”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., also made remarks Wednesday, beginning with an acknowledgment in the Bible’s book of Matthew, which says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
According to Schumer, after talking to Sicknick’s family members after his passing, he learned that the officer’s mother and aunt were both studying at the same high school in Brooklyn. Sicknick was a New Jersey resident, a National Guard veteran and a 12-year-old member of the Capitol police force.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, downtown, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, stop by to pay their last respects during a ceremony commemorating the U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, as an urn with his cremated remains, lies in honor on a black draped table in the middle of the Capitol Rotunda, Wednesday, February 3, 2021, in Washington. (Demetrius Freeman / The Washington Post via AP, Pool)
“He was caught in the wrong place one day on a day when peace was shattered,” Schumer said. “That Brian and his family had to pay such a high price for his dedicated service in the Capitol was a senseless tragedy, which we are still struggling with. It left deep scars in this building, as did the tragic deaths of two of the two. Brian’s fellow officers in the days since she left. ‘
Schumer also offers mental health counseling to officers who continue to recover from injuries related to the riot.
This ceremony comes after President Biden and congressional leaders visited the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday night to pay tribute to Sicknick. Biden entered the Rotunda shortly after the ceremony with first lady Jill Biden, where he placed his hand briefly on the table with Sicknick’s remains before they both laid their hands over their hearts.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden testify to the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick as an urn with his cremated remains lies in honor on a black draped table in downtown Capitol Rotunda, Tuesday, February 2, 2021, in Washington . (Erin Schaff / The New York Times via AP, Pool)
Then he prayed and sadly shook his head while observing a memorial wreath nearby. The look lasted a few minutes.
FALLEN CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER BRIAN SICKNICK TO HONOR ON CAPITOL ROTUNDA
The gloomy ceremony began Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET and saw dozens of Capitol police standing as its urn was staged in the Capitol Stairs – nearly a month after a crowd of former Donald Trump supporters stormed the building.
A guard of honor places an urn with the cremated remains of U.S. police officer Brian Sicknick and a folded flag on a black-draped table in the center of the Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday, February 2, 2021 in Washington. (Leah Millis / pool via AP)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy also paid tribute.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat from California, left, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, pay tribute to the remains of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick in the Rotary of the U.S. Capitol in Washington. , DC, on Tuesday, February 2, 2021. Photographer: Erin Schaff / The New York Times / Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Congress is united in sadness and gratitude for the sacrifice of Brian Sicknick, Capitol Police Officer. His heroism has helped save lives and protect our democracy,” Pelosi tweeted Tuesday night. “Now, he lies in honor in the American Capitol while we pay tribute to his patriotic service.”
Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head by a fire extinguisher on Jan. 6 while “physically involved with rioters at the Capitol” on Jan. 6. He collapsed as soon as he returned to his ward and died the next day in hospital from his injuries. Sicknick was one of five people killed in the riots.
Pelosi and Schumer said last week that his heroism “helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy and ensure that Congress is not diverted from our duty to the Constitution.”
His sacrifice, they say, “reminds us every day of our commitment to our country and to the people we serve.”
A fellow law enforcement officer gets emotional when he pays tribute to the late Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick as he is honored on February 2, 2021 at the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC. (Photo by SALWAN GEORGES / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
Sicknick, 42, of South River, NJ, joined the National Guard six months after high school in 1997, before deploying to Saudi Arabia and later Kyrgyzstan. He joined Capitol Police in 2008 and was known to lawmakers, staff and others who walked through the building’s doors every morning.
He is the fifth person to be honored in the Capitol Rotunda, a designation for those who are not elected officials, judges or military leaders.
CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER BRIAN SICKNICK L IN HONOR IN ROTUNDA: PELOSI, SCHUMER
His family made a statement by U.S. Capitol police on Saturday thanking Congress.
“The family of the American Capitol Police Officer, Brian D. Sicknick, thanked the congressional leadership for awarding this historic honor to our fallen American hero,” the statement said. “We also want to express our appreciation to the millions of people who offered their support and sympathy during this difficult time. Knowing that our personal tragedy and loss is shared by our country brings hope for healing.”
Congressmen continue to be shaken by the riots and wrestle with what it means, not only for the future of the country, but also for their own security as elected representatives. While lawmakers have condemned the riots and the role of Trump in them, the parties are now largely divided on how to proceed.
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The attack led to uncertainty, fear and political unrest in Congress when Biden began his presidency. House Democrats charged former President Trump a week after the attack and sent a charge of “incitement to insurrection” to the Senate, where Republicans are unlikely to give the necessary votes to convict him.
The building has since been cut off from the public eye, surrounded by large metal fences and defended by the National Guard.
Fox News’ Dom Calicchio, Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report