A US Capitol police officer died on Thursday, one day after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the center of US democracy on Wednesday to demand Congress not accept the results of November’s presidential election, police said in a statement.
Capitol police officer Brian D. Sicknick died at 9:30 p.m. ET on Thursday from injuries sustained during Wednesday's riot.
"Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters," police said in a statement. "He returned to his division office and collapsed. 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."
He is the sixth member of the Capitol Police to die in the line of duty. Sicknick joined the Capitol Police in 2008, the department said.
Before Sicknick's death, four people inside the US Capitol died, Among them was one person who was shot by a Capitol police officer, and three others who died from unspecified medical conditions.
Earlier on Thursday, the head of the Capitol Police, Steven Sund, resigned after facing pressure from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Sund turned down assistance from the federal government to defend the Capitol, the AP reported.
Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee previously stated that dozens of officers sustained injuries during Wednesday's melee.
