WASHINGTON — Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has issued a statement on the death of a U.S. Capitol police officer.
Officer Brian D. Sicknick, 42, died from injuries he suffered when violent pro-Trump activists stormed the Capitol on Wednesday.
The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement that Sicknick was injured “while physically engaging with protesters" during the riot. He was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, the Associated Press reported.
In his statement, Sen. Hawley called Sicknick’s death “a heartbreaking tragedy." He said the acts of violence at the Capitol were “criminal” and the individuals involved should be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Sicknick’s family said in a statement he wanted to be a police officer his entire life. He served in the New Jersey Air National Guard before joining the Capitol Police in 2008.
“Many details regarding Wednesday’s events and the direct causes of Brian’s injuries remain unknown, and our family asks the public and the press to respect our wishes in not making Brian’s passing a political issue," his family said.
During the riot, a woman from California was shot to death by Capitol Police and three other people died after “medical emergencies.”
Hawley’s full statement:
"The death of Officer Brian Sicknick is a heartbreaking tragedy. Officer Sicknick and the brave men and women of the Capitol Police, and law enforcement from other services, put their lives on the line to defend our nation’s Capitol against lawless violence. These acts of violence were criminal. They must be condemned. And they must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We are forever indebted to the service of Officer Sicknick and his colleagues."
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