Brian Sicknick, 42, died following a confrontation with Capitol rioters
The FBI and federal prosecutors are reportedly reviewing new video that could help bring charges in the death of U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, but more than a month after he died, much remains mysterious about the case.
Investigators are using the new video evidence to narrow down a handful of suspects who might have played a role in Sicknick’s death, as well as determine what caused his death, CNN reported on Wednesday.
More than a month after the January 6 riot, an autopsy revealing the cause and manner of Sicknick’s death has yet to be released. Earlier reports that he was beaten with a fire extinguisher were false, sources tell CNN and multiple other outlets.
Sicknick’s body did not have evidence of major blunt force trauma, the sources say, and investigators are now said to be pursuing a theory that he had an adverse reaction to bear spray or other irritants sprayed by the rioters.
Sicknick’s body did not have evidence of major blunt force trauma, the sources say, and investigators are now said to be pursuing a theory that he had an adverse reaction to pepper spray. Above, a Trump supporter is seen deploying bear spray at the Capitol riot
The videos that the FBI is reviewing in relation to Sicknick’s death have not been made public, and no confirmed images of Sicknick during the riot have been publicly identified.
In what little is known about the case, Sicknick, 42, was involved in confronting rioters at the Capitol, but after the mob dispersed, he appeared to be fine and returned to his office.
That evening, Sicknick texted his elder brother to tell him that he had been pepper sprayed twice but felt fine, the brother told ProPublica.
Sicknick was still in his office the night of January 6 when he collapsed and was rushed to a nearby hospital.
His family was told he had suffered a stroke, and Sicknick died at approximately 9.30pm the evening of January 7, the day after the riot.
In the only public statement issued by U.S. Capitol Police describing the circumstances surrounding his death, the department said Sicknick ‘passed away due to injuries sustained while on-duty.’
Trump loyalists are seen clashing with Capitol cops on January 6. So far, Sicknick has not been publicly identified in any photos or video from the day of the riot
Soon after Sicknick’s death, anonymous law enforcement sources spread the story that he had been bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher, and the account was spread widely in the media but later proved to be unfounded.
So far, nobody has been arrested or charged in the case, and the medical examiner has yet to pronounce Sicknick’s death as a homicide. Sicknick’s body has been cremated.
However, federal prosecutors are investigating the case as a murder, and Sicknick’s death has fueled heated rhetoric in the wake of the riot, with some accusing Donald Trump of being an accessory to his murder.
Four others died during the attack, all of them Trump loyalists who either attended Trump’s rally or participated in the attack.
Ashli Babbitt was shot to death by a Capitol police officer as she tried to climb through a broken window, while another woman was reportedly trampled to death and two other men suffered medical episodes.
Sicknick received one of the highest tributes that Congress can bestow on a civilian, when his remains lay in honor at the U.S. Capitol
After his death, Sicknick received one of the highest tributes that Congress can bestow on a civilian, when his remains lay in honor at the U.S. Capitol.
Sicknick was only the fifth person and the third Capitol Police officer to receive the honor.
‘That Brian and his family were made to pay such a high price for his devoted service in the Capitol was a senseless tragedy, one that we are still grappling with,’ said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the congressional tribute for Sicknick.
After the remarks by Schumer, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the two congressional chaplains and an a cappella rendition of ‘America the Beautiful,’ dozens of people streamed in to view a wooden box containing Sicknick’s ashes, displayed beside an American flag.
After lying in honor, Sicknick’s ashes were transported to Arlington National Cemetery for burial.