Police officer’s death intensifies siege questions
WASHINGTON » A police officer has died from injuries suffered as President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol in the violent siege that is forcing hard questions about the defeated president’s remaining days in office, and the ability of the Capitol Police to secure the area.
The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that Officer Brian D. Sicknick was injured “while physically engaging with protesters” during the Wednesday riot. He is the fifth person to die because of the Capitol protest and violence.
During the struggle at the Capitol, Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, two law enforcement officials said. The officials could not discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
His family said in a statement Friday that Sicknick wanted to be a police officer his entire life. He served in the New Jersey Air National Guard before joining the Capitol Police in 2008.
“Many details regarding Wednesday’s events and the direct causes of Brian’s injuries remain unknown, and our family asks the public and the press to respect our wishes in not making Brian’s passing a political issue,” the family said.
The rampage that has shocked the world and left the country on edge forced the resignations of three top Capitol security officials over the failure to stop the breach. It has led lawmakers to demand a review of operations and an FBI briefing over what they called a “terrorist attack.” And it is prompting a broader reckoning over Trump’s tenure in office and what comes next for the torn nation.
Protesters were urged by Trump during the rally near the White House earlier Wednesday to head to Capitol Hill, where lawmakers were scheduled to confirm Biden’s presidential victory. The mob swiftly broke through police barriers, smashed windows and paraded through the halls, sending lawmakers into hiding.
4 other deaths
One protester, a woman from California, was shot to death by Capitol Police, and there were dozens of arrests. Three other people died after “medical emergencies” related to the breach.
Despite Trump’s repeated claims of voter fraud, election officials and his own former attorney general have said there were no election problems on a scale that would change the outcome. All the states have certified their results as fair and accurate, by Republican and Democratic officials.
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., said news of the police officer’s death was “gutwrenching.”
“None of this should have happened,” Sasse said in a statement. “Lord, have mercy.”
Sicknick had returned to his division office after the incident and collapsed, the statement said. He was taken to a hospital, where he died late Thursday.
Trump did not comment on the officer’s death, but a White House spokesman said the death of any police officer in the line of duty is “a solemn reminder that they run toward danger to maintain peace.” Trump and the entire administration “extend our prayers to Officer Brian Sicknick’s family as we all grieve the loss of this American hero,” spokesman Judd Deere said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said those responsible for Sicknick’s death “must be brought to justice.”
“The violent and deadly act of insurrection targeting the Capitol, our temple of American democracy,
and its workers was a profound tragedy and stain on our nation’s history,” Pelosi said Friday. She ordered flags at the Capitol lowered to half-staff in Sicknick’s honor.
Resignations
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund, under pressure from Schumer, Pelosi and other congressional leaders, was forced to resign. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell asked for and received the resignation of the Sergeant at Arms of the Senate, Michael Stenger, effective immediately. Paul Irving, the longtime Sergeant at Arms of the House, also resigned.
Sund had defended his department’s response to the storming of the Capitol, saying officers had “acted valiantly when faced with thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions.”
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser called the police response “a failure.”
Lawmakers from both parties pledged to investigate, and questioned whether a lack of preparedness allowed the mob to occupy and vandalize the building. The Pentagon and Justice Department had been rebuffed when they offered assistance.
Black lawmakers, in particular, noted the way the
mostly white Trump supporters were treated.
Newly elected Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., said if “we, as Black people did the same things that happened ... the reaction would have been different, we would have been laid out on the ground.”
The protesters ransacked the place, taking over the House area and Senate chamber, and waving Trump, American and Confederate flags. Outside, they scaled the walls and balconies.
Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., a former police chief, said it was “painfully obvious” that Capitol police “were not prepared.”