A U.S. Capitol police officer is reportedly dead after suffering from his injuries stemming from Wednesday’s deadly siege of the nation’s Capitol, in which pro-Trump supporters fought police, stormed the federal building and destroyed government property.
The officer, identified as Brian D. Sicknick by the Washington Post, is the fifth person to die after the disturbing insurrection in Washington, D.C. One woman, Ashli Babbit, died from a gunshot wound in the chest, and three others died after suffering from unknown medical emergencies after being injured during the riots.
Read More: 4 dead, 52 arrested after violent mob storm Capitol, DC police say
Washington correspondent for Nexstar Media Group, Alexandra Limon, said sources told her that the Capitol officer was taken off life support on Thursday. He was reportedly hit in the head with a fire extinguisher by a rioter.
The Washington Post reported that Sicknick collapsed when he returned to his division office and was taken to the hospital where he died Thursday night.
After being encouraged by President Donald Trump, several thousands of Trump loyalists protested outside the Capitol building as the joint Congress gathered on the House floor to certify Joe Biden‘s Electoral College win as the next president of the United States. After an hour or more, the mob of Trump supporters fought past Capitol police and broke inside the Capitol building. Some were even seen climbing the building.
Read More: Foreign leaders respond as Capitol attack ‘shakes the world’
Members of the U.S. House and Senate, as well as Vice President Mike Pence, were evacuated from the House chamber. Some lawmakers were left locked inside their offices with staff, fearing for their lives.
U.S. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund announced his resignation on Thursday after pressured to do so by members of Congress, who placed blame on Capitol police for not being better prepared for Wednesday’s violent and deadly events.
The most blame has been placed at the feet of the current president, Donald Trump, who for months refused to acknowledge his defeat in the 2020 presidential election and falsely claimed there was voter fraud, bringing into question the legitimacy of the U.S. election process.
The Capitol siege has led some of Trump’s most loyal supporters in Congress to turn on him including Sen. Mitch McConnell and Sen. Lindsay Graham. Additionally, a handful of administration officials have resigned, including two members of his cabinet, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.
Democrats in Congress have gone a step further by demanding that Vice President Pence and members of Trump’s cabinet invoke the 25th amendment. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday that she is willing to impeach Trump for a second time if the executive branch refuses to use the 25th amendment to remove him from office with less than two weeks before Biden’s inauguration.
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