Capitol Police said in a statement that Officer Brian D. Sicknick died at approximately 9:30 pm ET on Thursday “from injuries sustained during service.”
The death is being investigated by the homicide section of the DC Metropolitan Police Department, the US Capitol Police and their federal partners.
“Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the United States Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with the protesters. He returned to his division’s office and passed out. He was taken to a local hospital, where he succumbed to injuries “, said the statement.
Sicknick joined the Capitol Police in July 2008 and, most recently, served in the department’s First Respondents Unit.
“The entire USCP Department expresses its deepest condolences to Officer Sicknick’s family and friends for his loss, and regrets the loss of a friend and colleague,” said Capitol Police.
Sicknick is the fifth person to die as a result of Wednesday’s insurrection. One woman was shot and killed by the Capitol Police when the crowd broke into the building and three others suffered fatal medical emergencies.
Shortly after 1 pm ET on Wednesday, hundreds of pro-Trump protesters pushed through the barriers placed along the perimeter of the Capitol, where they fought with policemen in full shock suits, some calling police officers “traitors” for doing their job.
About 90 minutes later, the police said that the protesters entered the building and that the doors of the House and Senate were being locked. Shortly after, the floor of the Chamber was evacuated by the police. Vice President Mike Pence was also evacuated from the chamber, where he was to play his part in counting electoral votes.
An armed confrontation took place at the front door of the Chamber at around 3 pm, and the police had their guns aimed at someone trying to rape her.
As a result of the episode, United States Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund is resigning. He said in a statement on Thursday that the Capitol Police and other officers were “actively attacked” with metal pipes and other weapons.
“They were determined to get into the Capitol building doing great damage,” said Sund.
“The violent attack on the United States Capitol was unlike any I have experienced in my 30 years of law enforcement here in Washington, DC,” he added. “Maintaining public safety in an open environment – specifically for First Amendment activities – has always been a challenge.”
Still, lawmakers say they are baffled by the lack of preparedness among police officers, as it has been known for weeks that Trump was holding a rally he said aimed at preventing Biden’s victory from being certified.
Representative Mike Quigley, an Illinois Democrat who was locked up in the Chamber of Deputies during an armed confrontation between the Capitol Police and a riot, praised the officers in the building who put their lives at risk, but made it clear that they were in fewer and law enforcement was being prepared.
“The Capitol Police I was with did an incredible job in difficult circumstances,” Quigley told CNN. “My concern was not how brave the Capitol Police were. It was that an hour before the debate started, I looked at the crowd of people around different sections of the Capitol and said, we don’t have enough security.”
Quigley added, “I am no security expert, but you can say that we were defeated an hour before the debate,” referring to Congressional procedures to certify Biden’s victory.