Deaths Bring Number Of Suicides Among Officers Engaged During Riot To Four
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WASHINGTONWashingtons Metropolitan Police Department said that two more officers who responded to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol have died by suicide.
That raises to four the known number of suicides by police officers who defended the complex after supporters of then-President stormed the U.S. Capitol, temporarily interrupting the certification of President Bidens victory in the November election.
‘heartbroken’: President Biden Reacts
President Joe Biden has released a statement about today’s attack, saying he and First Lady Jill Biden were “heartbroken to learn of the violent attack”.
He offered his “heartfelt condolences to Officer Evans family, and everyone grieving his loss”.
He added that he had ordered flags at the White House to lowered to half mast.
Acknowledging that it had been “a difficult time” for those working in and around the Capitol, he expressed “the nations gratitude” to the Capitol police force and first responders.
Police Officers Deliver Emotional Testimony At Jan 6 Committee Hearing
Only two Republicans are on the House committee. A bill to establish an independent commission to investigate attack was blocked by Senate Republicans.
Four officers who attacked by the mob testified before the committee last month.
Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn said he was called racial slurs and physically assaulted and has required counseling because of the emotional trauma he suffered that day.
Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell MPD Officer Michael Fanone testified that he was assaulted from every direction, beaten and repeatedly shocked with a stun device. He said that people tried to grab his gun and some in the crowd yelled to kill him with his own gun.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
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Exclusive: Widow Of Dc Police Officer Jeff Smith Who Died By Suicide Says Battling Rioters On Jan 6 Changed Him
The widow of an officer who died by suicide after responding to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol is pressing Congress to pass legislation recognizing the trauma suffered by law enforcement officers who take their own lives, which she told CBS News would be a fitting legacy for her husband.
Four officers who responded on Jan. 6 died by suicide within seven months of the attack.
Earlier this month, Erin Smith received an email from Washington, D.C., with the result she had spent more than a year fighting for. The city had ruled that her husband’s suicide nine days after Jan. 6, 2021 was caused by injuries sustained in battling the rioters, and as such, his death was found to have occurred in the line of duty.
“Honestly, I couldn’t believe it,” Smith told CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane in an exclusive interview.
She believes that the District was initially reluctant to grant the line-of-duty designation, because “with a suicide comes a stigma and something that the police department doesn’t want to face or recognize.”
“It’s hurtful and it’s sad that they can’t even reach out to the widow of one of their own officers,” Erin said. The D.C. Police Department and the mayor’s office declined to comment.
Erin said being a police officer was her husband’s calling and believes he would be proud of the attention she is bringing to the issue.
Police Officer In Capitol Riot Died From Natural Causes Says Coroner
Issued on: 20/04/2021 – 04:08
The police officer who died following the attack on the US Capitol by supporters of president Donald Trump in January was killed by two strokes, the Washington city coroner ruled Monday.
Brian Sicknick was one of five people, and the only police officer, who died in direct connection to the January 6 insurrection, when hundreds of pro-Trump rioters attacked and overran police to force their way into the seat of US government, shutting the building down.
Initial reports, later ruled incorrect, said Sicknick had been hit by a fire extinguisher. Later reports tied his death to being sprayed with chemical irritants like bear spray or pepper spray.
But the city’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Monday that Sicknick, 42, had died from “natural” causes.
The official report attributed the Capitol Police officer’s death to “acute brainstem and cerebellar infarcts due to acute basilar artery thrombosis” — a particularly devastating form of stroke with a high death rate, caused by blockages in the brain.
It noted that he had been sprayed with a chemical substance at about 2:20 pm during the assault on Congress. At 10:00 pm, he collapsed at the Capitol and was taken to the hospital. Almost 24 hours later he died while still in the hospital.
The report made no link between the spray and Sicknick’s collapse.
However, Diaz told the Post that “all that transpired played a role in his condition.”
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How Many Died As A Result Of Capitol Riot
In a tweet on Oct. 24, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez referred to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 as a terror attack, which she said resulted in almost 10 dead. She called for any member of Congress who helped plot it to be expelled.
Journalist Glenn Greenwald on Twitter that the claim of almost 10 dead from the 1/6 riot is deceitful in the extreme. Four people died on 1/6: all Trump supporters.
There is reasoned debate about the number who died as a result of the Capitol riot. Ocasio-Cortez is including law enforcement officials who responded to the Capitol that day and committed suicide in the days and months afterward. None of them have been officially designated as line of duty deaths, though there is some congressional support for it.
Ocasio-Cortezs tally also includes two rally participants who died of heart failure including one who died before other protesters had breached the Capitol. It includes a rallygoer who was initially believed to have been trampled to death in the mayhem that day, but was later determined to have died of an accidental overdose.
We take no position in the debate over whom to include in the deaths from the riots. But here we lay out what is publicly known about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of the nine people included in Ocasio-Cortezs tally.
Biden Claims Jan 6 Rioters Killed Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick
President Joe Biden mischaracterized the death of Brian Sicknick on Wednesday, contradicting the medical examiner’s report by claiming the U.S. Capitol Police officer was killed by “criminals” who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Sicknick, 42, died on Jan. 7, one day after rioters broke into the Capitol as lawmakers counted electoral votes to affirm Biden‘s victory over former President Donald Trump. There were false reports about the cause of death, with many outlets initially saying he was beaten to death with a fire extinguisher, a claim that was later debunked.
Biden, answering questions from reporters at a Geneva press conference following a bilateral summit with Vladimir Putin, told reporters that it was “ridiculous” to compare the events of Jan. 6 to the opposition protests that Putin used to maintain his grip on power and jail political dissidents, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny, whom the United States says was also poisoned with an illegal nerve agent by Russian intelligence.
“That’s a ridiculous comparison,” Biden said. “It’s one thing for literally criminals to break through cordon, go into the Capitol, kill a police officer, and be held unaccountable than it is for people objecting and marching on the Capitol and saying, ‘You are not allowing me to speak freely. You are not allowing me to do A, B, C, or D.'”
You can watch all of Biden’s press conference below.
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‘what Are We Supposed To Do’: Rioter Speaks To Cnn Reporter
Two more DC police officers who responded to the US Capitol insurrection have died by suicide, authorities announced on Monday, bringing the total to four officers who have taken their own lives in the aftermath of the January 6 riot.
This story has been updated with additional information Monday.
Editor’s Note: If you or a loved one have contemplated suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text TALK to 741741. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.
Capitol Attack: The Five People Who Died
Officer Brian Sicknick, 42, was reportedly struck in head during Wednesdays riot, while four Trump supporters also died
Family members and law enforcement have confirmed more details on the now five people who died in an attempted insurrection against the United States on Wednesday, including a Capitol police officer.
The remaining four were among the supporters of Donald Trump who stormed the US Capitol, attempting to halt counts of electoral college ballots that would formally seal Joe Bidens victory over the incumbent president.
Dont dare call them protesters. They were a riotous mob. Insurrectionists. Domestic terrorists. Its that basic. Its that simple, Biden said in response to Thursdays attack.
Details on the five people who died are below.
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High Alert On Washington Dc Streets
It’s now around 16:40 local time in Washington DC, and dozens of police and National Guard troops are out patrolling the streets and investigating the scene of the attack.
In the aftermath of the 6 January riot, hundreds of National Guard troops were deployed to the US Capitol. There are estimated to be around 2,300 still there, and the plan had been to bring that number down in the next few weeks. It’s unclear how today’s attack will change security plans for the Capitol building and the capital city.
Police Died By Suicide After The Capitol Riot It’s The Reason Their Names Won’t Be Memorialized
WASHINGTON When Congress approved millions in aid for the battered U.S. Capitol Police Department this year, lawmakers included a health facility to be named for a beloved officer who died three days after the riot Jan. 6.
The Howard C. “Howie” Liebengood Center for Wellness is expected to serve as a resource and an acknowledgment of the mental health support needed to sustain the department, which lost the 51-year-old officer to suicide after the Capitol attack.
Liebengood’s death, and those of three District of Columbia Metropolitan Police officers who took their own lives after being deployed to the siege, compounded a fracture in American life that reverberates nearly 10 months after the attack.
Yet as families and colleagues from across the nation gather Thursday to honor fallen officers at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, Liebengood’s name and the three others who died by suicide after Jan. 6 will not be eligible for engraving on the marbleized limestone regarded as sacred ground for U.S. law enforcement.
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“The pervasive stigma is insane,” said Karen Solomon, co-founder of Blue H.E.L.P., a group that has tracked and honored officers lost to suicide since 2016.
Commission: Officers ask lawmakers to ‘get to the bottom’ of Jan. 6 Capitol riot
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Fallen Us Capitol Officer Named
The US Capitol Police has released the name of the officer killed in today’s attack.
A statement from acting police chief Yogananda Pittman reads: It is with profound sadness that I share the news of the passing of Officer William ‘Billy’ Evans this afternoon from injuries he sustained following an attack at the North Barricade by a lone assailant.”
It goes on to say the officer was a member of the Capitol police force for 18 years.
“Please keep Officer Evans and his family in your thoughts and prayers,” the statement says.
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Last week, the House select committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol held its first hearing in which lawmakers heard dramatic, emotional accounts from officers who defended the building.
Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn told lawmakers he is receiving private therapy for the “persistent emotional trauma” he faces from that day.
“I know so many other officers continue to hurt, both physically and emotionally. I want to take this moment to speak to my fellow officers about the emotions they are continuing to experience from the events of Jan. 6. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with seeking professional counseling,” Dunn said. “What we went through that day was traumatic, and if you are hurting, please take advantage of the counseling services that are available to us.”
He also pleaded with the panel, which hasn’t announced its next public hearing, to look into mental health resources available for officers to decide if they are “sufficient enough to meet our needs.”
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Biggest Death Threats To Police: Covid
Until reels of video exposed the withering trauma that battalions of officers confronted Jan. 6, the coronavirus represented the most discussed threat to the ranks of American law enforcement.
Since 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic has been the leading killer of police, and it continues its deadly march in 2021. Of the 351 deaths this year, 224 fatalities were attributed to the coronavirus, according to the Officer Down Memorial Page, which tracks law enforcement deaths.
The epidemic highlighted a chilling new threat, but advocates for law enforcement survivors said the coronavirus numbers obscured another risk stalking police for years: suicide.
More than 700 officers, including corrections officers, have taken their own lives since 2018, including 115 this year, according to Blue H.E.L.P. The numbers have remained fairly steady each year at slightly more than 170, except for a spike to 238 in 2019.
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Though coronavirus-related deaths were presumed to be line-of-duty losses and eligible for federal survivor benefits, including a payment of $370,376, suicide is excluded from such recognition even when the deaths have occurred after emotionally jarring incidents on duty.
The attack Jan. 6, the tragic suicides that followed and wrenching congressional testimony from officers who described the psychological scars from that assignment, added urgency to the policy debate.
Fact Check: Was Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick Killed By Rioters
There has been widespread speculation on the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, whose death ignited an outpouring of emotion from Americans after he died following the January 6 Capitol riot.
Sicknick, 42, joined the Capitol police in 2008. He was an Air Force veteran who served in the New Jersey Air National Guard before becoming a police officer.
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Us Capitol Police Officer Dies After Riot
Officer Brian D. Sicknick suffered a stroke and died the day after physically engaging with protesters at the U.S. Capitol
Duty Death: Brian D. Sicknick –
End of Service: 01/07/2021
On April 19, 2021, a Washington, D.C. medical examiner announced that Officer Brian Sicknick suffered a stroke and died from natural causes. The cause and manner of Sicknick’s death has at times been contested since his passing on Jan. 7, 2021. An initial statement from the Capitol Police said Sicknick died due to injuries sustained while on-duty…and was injured while physically engaging with protesters” at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The medical examiner’s office later said an autopsy found no evidence that Sicknick suffered internal or external injuries related to the siege.
Associated Press
WASHINGTON The U.S. Capitol Police says an officer who was injured after responding to riots at the Capitol has died.
Officer Brian D. Sicknick died Thursday due to injuries sustained while on-duty, physically engaging with protesters at the U.S. Capitol, the statement said.
Supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol on Wednesday as Congress was tallying the Electoral College votes to confirm Democrat Joe Biden won the election. Sicknick returned to his division office and collapsed, the report said. He was taken to a hospital and later died.
More Officers Who Responded To Jan 6 Capitol Riot Have Died By Suicide
President Joe Biden weighed in on news of the officers’ deaths on Tuesday.
Two Washington Metropolitan Police Department officers who responded to the Jan. 6 riot died by suicide in July, the department announced on Monday, nearly seven months after the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol by a mob of pro-Trump supporters.
Officer Kyle DeFreytag, who was on the force since November 2016, and Officer Gunther Hashida, an 18-year-veteran, are the latest of now three MPD officers who have died by suicide since Jan. 6, the department said.
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Four Police Suicides In The Aftermath Of The Capitol Siege: What Can We Learn
Dinah Miller, MD
Officer Scott Davis is a passionate man who thinks and talks quickly. As a member of the Special Events Team for Montgomery County, Maryland, he was already staging in Rockville, outside of Washington, DC, when the call came in last January 6 to move their unit to the US Capitol.
“It was surreal,” said Davis. “There were people from all different groups at the Capitol that day. Many people were trying to get out, but others surrounded us. They called us ‘human race traitors.’ And then I heard someone say, ‘It’s good you brought your shields, we’ll carry your bodies out on them.'”
Davis described hours of mayhem during which he was hit with bear spray, a brick, a chair, and a metal rod. One of the members of Davis’ unit remains on leave with a head injury nearly 9 months after the siege.
“It went on for 3 hours, but it felt like 15 minutes. Then, all of a sudden, it was over.”
For the members of law enforcement officers at the Capitol that day, the repercussions are still being felt, perhaps most notably in the case of the four officers who subsequently died of suicide. Three of the officers were with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and one worked for the Capitol Police Department.