Expand / Collapse search
Watch TV
Menu

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2024 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper.

Capitol Protests

Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes after Jan. 6 riot, examiner says

Federal officials arrested and charged two men last month with assaulting Sicknick

Fox News
Published | Updated
close
Fox News Flash top headlines for April 19 Video

Fox News Flash top headlines for April 19

Fox News Flash top headlines are here. Check out what's clicking on Foxnews.com.

U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes the day after he confronted rioters during the Jan. 6 insurrection, according to Washington's top medical examiner.

The chief medical examiner, Francisco Diaz, said Monday that an autopsy of Sicknick found no evidence the 42-year-old suffered an allergic reaction to chemical irritants. Diaz ruled the Sicknick, 42, died from "acute brainstem and cerebellar infarcts due to acute basilar artery thrombosis."

NEW YORK TIMES CORRECTS REPORT ON CAPITOL OFFICER'S DEATH CITED IN TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

The medical examiner's report showed that Sicknick was sprayed with a chemical substance around 2:20 p.m. on Jan. 6 and collapsed at the Capitol around 10 p.m. that evening. He died around 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, according to the examiner's office.

Diaz told the Washington Post, which first reported the news, that the Jan. 6 events "played a role in his condition."

Federal officials arrested and charged two men last month with assaulting Sicknick with bear spray during the riot. Julian Elie Khater, 32, of State College, Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of Morgantown, West Virginia, each faced an array of charges, including assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and conspiracy to injure an officer, although authorities stopped short of charging them with his death.

  • Image 1 of 4

    Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick (US Capitol Police)

  • Image 2 of 4

    Julian Elie Khater is seen holding a white can with a black top that appears to be a can of chemical spray, according to prosecutors. (Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia criminal complaint) ((Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia criminal complaint))

  • Image 3 of 4

    A Metropolitan Police Department officer sprays Julian Elie Khater, prosecutors say. (Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia criminal complaint) ((Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia criminal complaint))

  • Image 4 of 4

    Julian Elie Khater, with his right arm in the air, appears to be holding a canister in his right hand and aiming it in the officers' direction, prosecutors say. (Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia criminal complaint) ((Source: U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia criminal complaint))

Each assault charge carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

SICKNICK CASE STILL OPEN BUT PROSECUTORS STYMIED IN FILING HOMICIDE CHARGES SO FAR

Law enforcement officials initially said that Sicknick was struck by a fire extinguisher -- an idea perpetuated by The New York Times in a February report that was quietly updated one month later. U.S. Capitol Police later said Sicknick had "succumbed to his injuries" after defending the building, although questions lingered about the cause of death.

Sicknick, who joined the force in 2008, "was injured while physically engaging with protesters," Capitol Police said. "He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Sicknick was one of five people who died after a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol, interrupting the electoral count that certified Joe Biden as the victor of the November election. About 140 officers were injured in the siege, according to the Capitol Police officers' union. 

At the beginning of February, the officer was honored in the Capitol Rotunda, where President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden were among those to pay their respects.