A second police officer who responded to the Capitol riots earlier this month died of suicide, the DC police chief revealed Tuesday night.
Jeffery Smith worked for the Metropolitan Police Department for 12 years and died on January 15 – just nine days after thousands of MAGA supporters invaded the Capitol.
“Officer Jeffrey Smith’s service and presence will be sorely missed in the Second District,” MPD’s second district commander, Duncan Bedlion, told the Daily Beast via email. “My prayers are with your family during a very difficult time.”
Smith is the second police officer to die by suicide after working on the Capitol on the day of the siege. US Capitol police officer Howard Liebengood, 51, who has guarded the government building since 2005, committed suicide on January 9.
“My prayers are with Officer Jeffery Smith’s family and colleagues,” wrote Rep. Ted Lieu (D) of California in Twitter Wednesday.
Another officer, the United States Capitol police officer, Brian Sicknick, died in hospital on January 7 of injuries sustained “while physically engaging with protesters”. Four pro-Trump rebels also died during the siege, including a woman who was shot by the police while trying to break into the Chamber of Deputies, a 55-year-old Alabama man who had a heart attack, a Georgia woman who was reportedly crushed by the crowd and a man from Philadelphia who suffered a stroke.
“We honor the services and sacrifices of officers Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood and Jeffery Smith, and offer condolences to all bereaved families,” said MPD acting police chief Robert J. Contee III during comments before the House Appropriations Committee. on Tuesday night.
Contee said the MPD sent 850 police, almost a quarter of its force, to help protect the Capitol during the insurrection.
Sixty-five MPD officers reported injuries in the attack, and many more had injuries such as “scratches, bruises, burning eyes of a bear apple – which they didn’t even bother to report,” he said.
Liebengood officer worked in the Senate Division and was the son of the late arms sergeant Howard S. Liebengood. “Each Capitol Police officer puts the safety of others before their own safety and Officer Liebengood was an example of the selfless service that is the trademark of the USCP,” said Gus Papathanasiou, chairman of the Capitol Police Working Committee, in a statement. after Liebengood’s death. “This is a tragic day.”
Former Senator John Kerry remembered Liebengood in Twitter, saying that the officer used to guard a door near his office on the hill. “Howie always had a smile on his face, but he also showed great care for the safety of the young team who worked behind the doors of our office,” wrote Kerry.
The police response to the Capitol insurrection was widely criticized. Although the police knew in advance about the potential plans for the violence, they were terribly unprepared, and the videos showed some officers allowing protesters to enter the building. Capitol acting police chief Yogananda Pittman apologized for the response on Tuesday, saying in a statement: “The Department has failed to meet its own high standards, as well as yours.”
The Capitol Police union sent out an inflamed statement in response to Pittman’s admission, calling him “surprising” and saying that his comments about the department’s failure to prepare “angered and shocked ordinary Capitol Police officers.”
“We have an officer who lost his life as a direct result of the insurrection. Another officer had tragically taken his own life. Between the USCP and our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Department, we have almost 140 police officers injured, ”wrote Papathanasiou.
“I have police officers who did not receive helmets before the attack and who suffered brain injuries,” said Papathanasiou. “A policeman has two broken ribs and two broken spinal discs. One policeman is going to lose his eye and another was stabbed with a metal fence post. ”He called on the fact that the leadership knew about the attack in advance, but failed to prepare properly as” unscrupulous “.
If you or a loved one is struggling with suicidal thoughts, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by sending a text message TALK to 741741.