CAPITOL POLICE OFFICER DIES; TWO OFFICIALS CITE SUICIDE

U.S. Capitol Police on Sunday announced the death of off-duty officer Howard Liebengood, the son and namesake of a former Senate sergeant-at-arms, lobbyist and Capitol Hill staffer.

Two law enforcement officials told The Washington Post that Liebengood, 51, died by suicide over the weekend, days after being on the scene of Wednesday's violent siege of the Capitol building by a pro-Trump mob.

Statements by the Capitol Police and its union did not release a cause or date of death for Liebengood, who had been with the department since April 2005 and was assigned to the Senate Division.

“We are reeling from the death of Officer Liebengood,” Gus Papathanasiou, head of the Capitol Police union, said in a statement. “Every Capitol Police Officer put the security of others before their own safety and Officer Liebengood was an example of the self less service that is the hallmark of USCP. This is a tragic day.”

The statement from the Capitol Police says: “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and colleagues.”

Friends described Liebengood as humble and reserved, and said he shared a love of race car driving with his father.

Charlie Ostlund, 70, taught him at James Madison High School in Vienna, Va., in the 1980s, and mentored him as his wrestling coach. He remembers Liebengood as a team player who often surprised opponents with his strength and physical talent.

Ostlund said the younger Liebengood looked up to his father, Howard S. Liebengood Sr., who served as the Senate sergeant-atarms from 1981 to 1983. The sergeant-at-arms is the chief law enforcement officer of the Senate, charged with ensuring security in the Capitol and Senate buildings, as well as protecting members of the Senate.

“He was a great student and great kid,” Ostlund said. “This is just so, so sad.”

Meanwhile, the chief of the embattled Capitol Police stepped down from his post Friday, days earlier than he said he would following a deadly breach of the Capitol complex by a mob supporting President Donald Trump.

Chief Steven Sund on Thursday, hours after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, called on him to step down, said his resignation would be effective Jan. 16.

But Assistant Chief Yogananda Pittman took control of the agency Friday, according to the agency's website.