Capitol policeman Brian Sicknick has died after being attacked by rioters. – CNP / NEWSCOM / SIPA
For three months, the causes of his death had remained mysterious. An American policeman, who died the day after pro-Trump protesters stormed the Capitol in January, died of “natural” causes after two strokes, according to the autopsy report released on Monday.
Brian Sicknick’s fate had moved many Americans, shocked by the attack on the seat of Congress. His body had been exhibited at the Capitol, an exceptional honor, and Joe Biden had paid tribute to him on the spot. Anonymous sources, cited by the New York Times, had initially assured that he had received blows of extinguisher, a version of the facts then discarded. His death remained a mystery, more than three months after the events.
Two strokes
Brian Sicknick has suffered two strokes, federal capital Washington medical examiner Francisco J. Diaz finally concluded. In his report, the medical examiner traces the hours before the death of the 42-year-old man.
Around 2:20 p.m. on January 6, the policeman was sprayed with a chemical substance “outside”, in front of the Capitol. Then around 10 p.m., Brian Sicknick, 42, collapsed in the Capitol building before being taken by ambulance to a Washington hospital. He died at “around 9:30 pm” the next day, January 7, in hospital. “Circumstances of death: natural”, concludes the forensic pathologist.
On March 15, American authorities indicted two men, accused of having sprayed him with “bear spray”, a powerful aerosol used in the wild areas of the United States to repel these large mammals. Julian Khater, 32, and George Tanios, 39, face nine counts, including “assaulting an officer with a dangerous weapon” but are not prosecuted for manslaughter.
No charge for death of Ashli Babbitt
Four other people died in the coup: a protester shot dead by a police officer, Ashli Babbitt, and three others for separate medical reasons. The US Department of Justice announced on April 14 that it would not initiate a prosecution against the police officer who shot Ashli Babbitt, who died at 35, believing that there was “not enough evidence for justify criminal proceedings ”.
Accused of “incitement to insurgency” by the House of Representatives, former President Donald Trump was acquitted by the Senate after a vigorous trial in February.