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Chaos at the Capitol: Who was Brian Sicknick, Capitol police officer who died after riots?

By Michelle Ewing, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Michelle Ewing, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

WASHINGTON — An officer died Thursday from injuries he sustained Wednesday while responding to a riot at the U.S. Capitol, authorities said.

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According to Capitol police, one of the department’s officers, Brian D. Sicknick, died at an area hospital about 9:30 p.m. Thursday, the day after supporters of President Donald Trump breached the Capitol as lawmakers tallied electoral votes for the 2020 presidential election.

Sicknick’s death is the fifth tied to Wednesday’s violence.

Here’s what we know about Sicknick:

1. He died ‘due to injuries sustained while on-duty,’ Capitol police said in a statement.

In a news release issued late Thursday, Capitol police said Sicknick was hurt “while physically engaging with protesters” on Wednesday.

“He returned to his division office and collapsed,” the release said. “He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The death of Officer Sicknick will be investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch, the USCP and our federal partners.”

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US Capitol protests Paramedics perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a patient on January 6, 2021, in Washington, D.C. Demonstrators breeched security and entered the US Capitol in Washington, DC, as Congress debated the a 2020 presidential election Electoral Vote Certification. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

2. He joined the department more than 12 years ago.

Capitol police said Sicknick joined the department in July 2008, according to the news release. He “most recently served in the department’s first responders’ unit,” the release added.

“The entire USCP Department expresses its deepest sympathies to Officer Sicknick’s family and friends on their loss, and mourns the loss of a friend and colleague,” the department said in a statement. “We ask that Officer Sicknick’s family, and other USCP officers’ and their families’ privacy be respected during this time.”

3. His brother called him a ‘hero.’

ABC News reported that Sicknick’s brother, whose name was not listed, provided the following statement to the network:

“After a day of fighting for his life, he passed away a hero,” the statement read. “I would like to thank all of his brothers and sisters in law enforcement for the incredible compassion and support they have shown my family. My family and I hope that our privacy can be respected as we grieve. Thank you.”

4. Several politicians and public figures took to social media to react to Sicknick’s death.

Several politicians, including Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who had supported Trump’s efforts to challenge the presidential election results, offered their condolences after learning of Sicknick’s death.

Here’s what they were saying:

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