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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.
To date, little information has been publicly shared about the circumstances of the 13-year-old former police force veteran, including the findings of an autopsy performed by the DC medical examiner.
In a statement the day after the uprising, Capitol Hill police said Sicknick was “injured while physically engaging with protesters” and collapsed from his injuries some time after his return. at her office. He died the next day at a local hospital.
In the case of Sicknick, it is still not publicly known what brought him down on the night of the insurgency. The findings of a forensic examination have not yet been released and authorities have made no announcement regarding this ongoing process.
According to a law enforcement official, forensic examiners found no sign that the officer suffered blunt trauma, so investigators believe the first reports that he was fatally struck by a fire extinguisher did not are not true.
One possibility investigators are considering is that Sicknick fell ill after interacting with a chemical irritant like pepper spray or bear spray that rolled out in the crowd. But investigators reviewing video of the officer’s visit to Capitol Hill have not been able to confirm this on a tape that has been recovered so far, the official said.
The case could also be complicated if Sicknick had a pre-existing medical condition. It couldn’t be learned if he did.
A spokeswoman for the United States Capitol Police declined to comment on the story, citing the ongoing investigation.
Charges in other assaults on police
As part of the riot investigation, several people were charged with assaulting a federal officer following violent episodes on Capitol Hill, separate from the one involving Sicknick.
In court documents, FBI agents have laid out elements of the attacks facing agents in alarming detail. More than 100 police officers were injured in the melee, including at least 15 police officers who had to be hospitalized, according to court documents.
A man can be seen in surveillance footage hitting uniformed officers from the Capitol and DC Metropolitan Police Department with a metal baseball bat, according to an FBI affidavit.
Another man allegedly threw a fire extinguisher at a group of police, hitting three on the head, an affidavit said.
Lie in honor
Sicknick’s case, however, will be unresolved when he arrives on Capitol Hill in a ceremony Tuesday evening ahead of a viewing period for members of his police force.
A tribute to Congress will take place on Wednesday morning, according to information released by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Due to the pandemic, the ceremony will be closed to the public. Later that day, Sicknick will leave the Capitol before a burial in Arlington National Cemetery.
“The United States Congress is united in sorrow, gratitude and solemn appreciation for the service and sacrifice of Officer Brian Sicknick,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement. “May this ceremony and the knowledge with which so many cry and pray for them be a comfort to the family of Constable Sicknick during this sad time.
In an email Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the Sicknick family declined to provide further comment on the status of the investigation into the officer’s death.
The Sicknick family thanked the leaders of Congress and expressed their gratitude “to the millions of people who have offered their support and sympathy during this difficult time.”
“Knowing that our personal tragedy and loss are shared by our nation brings hope for a recovery,” the family said in a statement over the weekend.
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