The U.S. Capitol Police officer who died from injuries sustained during the Jan. 6 breach of the U.S. Capitol building is an Air National Guard veteran who served two tours in the Middle East during about six years of service.
Officer Brian D. Sicknick died around 9:30 p.m. Jan. 7 due to injuries sustained during the riot, when supporters of President Donald. J. Trump stormed the Capitol. Sicknick, who was injured “while physically engaging with protestors,” returned to his division office and collapsed, USCP said in a statement. He was taken to a local hospital, where he died of the injuries. The death is under investigation by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide branch, the USCP, and federal agencies.
Sicknick enlisted in the New Jersey Air National Guard in 1997 as a traditional drilling member. He served as a Fire Team Member and Leader of the 108th Security Forces Squadron, 108th Wing, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., according to a statement from the New Jersey National Guard. He deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1999 for Operation Southern Watch and Kyrgyzstan in 2003 for Operation Enduring Freedom, and he was honorably discharged in 2003 as a staff sergeant.
“Staff Sgt. Sicknick’s commitment to service and [to] protect his community, state, and nation will never be forgotten,” NJ Guard spokeswoman Lt. Col. Barbara Brown said in a statement. “Our condolences and thoughts are with his family, friends, and those who worked with him during his law enforcement career.”
He joined the USCP in July 2008, and most recently was part of the department’s First Responder’s Unit, USCP said.
“The entire USCP Department expresses its deepest sympathies to Officer Sicknick’s family and friends on their loss, and mourns the loss of a friend and colleague,” USCP said.