Brian Sicknick: Biden Honors Capitol Police Officer Honored at Capitol Hill

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Friday that Sicknick would lie in honor under the historic dome. The arrival ceremony began at 9:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday at the Capitol East Front, and a viewing period began at 10 p.m. for members of the U.S. Capitol Police and continues overnight.

Lying in the state is usually reserved for leaders of the U.S. government, but two U.S. Capitol Police officers shot dead in 1998 were the first private citizens to lie in honor on Capitol Hill.

Sicknick’s family released a statement on Saturday thanking “Congressional leaders for bestowing this historic honor on our late American hero.”

“We also wish to express our gratitude to the millions of people who have offered their support and sympathy during this difficult time. Knowing that our personal tragedy and loss is shared by our nation brings hope for a recovery,” the statement said. .

Several lawmakers had called for Sicknick to be honored on Capitol Hill, and two South Carolina Republicans had introduced a bill that would allow him to lie down in the rotunda before his burial at Arlington National Cemetery.

Sicknick, a native of New Jersey who had served in the National Guard, died the day after the riot “due to injuries sustained while on duty,” Capitol Police said in a statement at the time. He was one of five people who died in the violence.
In the days following his death, Pelosi and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also each arranged for the flags to fly half-baton in honor of Sicknick.

Sicknick’s ceremonial rest on Capitol Hill comes as investigators struggle to mount a federal murder case, vexed by the lack of evidence that could prove someone caused his death while defending the Capitol during the insurgency last month.

Authorities have reviewed videos and photographs showing Sicknick engaging with rioters during the siege, but have yet to identify a time when he suffered his fatal injuries, law enforcement officials said. law familiar with the matter.

Shortly after Sicknick’s death on Jan. 7, Washington prosecutors opened a federal murder investigation, devoting a team to the U.S. attorney’s office to work out a case, authorities said.

Sicknick is not the only Capitol Police officer to respond and has died in the wake of the riot. Acting Metropolitan Police Chief Robert J. Contee told the House Appropriations Committee last week that two police officers have committed suicide since responding to the riot on Capitol Hill on January 6, according to opening statement by Contee before the committee, obtained by CNN.

CNN’s Peter Nickeas, Ryan Nobles, Ali Zaslav, Ralph Ellis, Evan Perez, David Shortell and Whitney Wild contributed to this report.



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