House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday ordered flags lowered to half-staff at the Capitol to honor US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick.
Sicknick, 42, died Thursday after he reportedly was bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher Wednesday when President Trump’s supporters broke into the building in a failed attempt to block certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory.
“I have ordered the flags at the Capitol lowered to half-staff in Officer Sicknick’s honor,” said Pelosi (D-Calif.).
“The sacrifice of Officer Sicknick reminds us of our obligation to those we serve: to protect our country from all threats foreign and domestic. May it be a comfort to Officer Sicknick’s family that so many mourn with and pray for them at this sad time.”
On Thursday night, a large group of police officers gathered near the Capitol to honor Sicknick. Police vehicles passed with flashing lights as many other cops saluted toward the building.
Pelosi said “the perpetrators of Officer Sicknick’s death must be brought to justice.”
“The violent and deadly act of insurrection targeting the Capitol, our temple of American Democracy, and its workers was a profound tragedy and stain on our nation’s history,” she said.
“But because of the heroism of our first responders and the determination of the Congress, we were not, and we will never be, diverted from our duty to the Constitution and the American people.”
Sicknick was a member of the US Capitol Police since 2008, the force said.
The chief of the Capitol Police, Steven Sund, announced his resignation Thursday after the jarring breaches of security that allowed for the break-in. His department reportedly turned down offers of help from the FBI and National Guard ahead of the mayhem.
Four Trump supporters also died in the clashes, which followed a speech near the White House by Trump, who encouraged throngs of backers to march on Congress and persuade legislators to toss out swing-state electors for Biden.
Air Force veteran Ashli Babbitt, 35, was fatally shot by a cop while attempting to break through a barricaded interior window. Rosanne Boyland, 34, collapsed in the Rotunda and may have been trampled to death, her family told the Daily Mail. Trump supporter Kevin Greeson, 55, reportedly died from a heart attack and Benjamin Phillips, 50, reportedly had a stroke.
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