Federal Probe Opened Into Capitol Hill Riot Death Of Cop From NJ

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A federal probe was launched into the death of a police officer from New Jersey who succumbed to injuries he suffered while battling rioters at Capitol Hill.

The US Attorney General has opened a federal probe to find the person, or people, responsible for Capitol Hill Police Officer Brian Sicknick's death.

"He succumbed to injuries he suffered defending the U.S. Capitol against the violent mob who stormed it," said Acting Attorney General Jeff Rosen.

Sicknick grew up in South River and is an Iraq War veteran, said Gov. Phil Murphy, who paid tribute to him. He is also a graduate of Middlesex County vo-tech schools.

Sicknick died at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday after he was injured while physically engaging with the rioters. He collapsed later in the day back at his office and was then taken to a hospital, where he died, according to Capitol Police.

Anonymous law enforcement officers told the New York Times that protesters hit Sicknick with a fire extinguisher. Rioters may have also pepper sprayed him before they hit him, said Gov. Murphy.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and fellow officers of U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian D. Sicknick," said Rosen, who added: "The FBI and Metropolitan Police Department will jointly investigate the case and the Department of Justice will spare no resources in investigating and holding accountable those responsible.”

South River Mayor John Krenzel told Patch that the family is in a "state of shock" and has asked for calm in the aftermath of the riots.

Sicknick graduated from the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical School - East Brunswick campus on June 18, 1997. From an early age, he expressed his desire to serve in law enforcement, said Middlesex County Commissioner Ronald Rios. The East Brunswick school announced Friday they will be planting an oak tree on the campus in his honor.

"During his four years, Brian was well-liked by the faculty, who described him as a fine student and a kind young man," said Rios.

Sicknick joined the Capitol Hill Police in July 2008 and most recently served in the department’s First Responder’s Unit.

Sicknick is the only officer so far to have died, although other police were injured. Five people died in the riots.

According to Murphy, Sicknick "embodied the selfless spirit of his native state (New Jersey)."

"Sicknick was a product of South River and a graduate of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools," said the New Jersey governor. "Before joining the Capitol Police, he was Staff Sergeant Sicknick with the New Jersey Air National Guard."

Sicknick was also a Fire Team Member and Leader with the 108th Security Force Squadron, 108th Wing, at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. He was also deployed overseas twice in the Middle East, first in Operation Southern Watch and then in the Iraq War during Operation Enduring Freedom.

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) commented on the irony of Sicknick to serve in a U.S. war and then lose his life at the hands of his fellow American citizens.

"As a member of the New Jersey National Guard, Mr. Sicknick safely deployed during Operation Southern Watch in 1999 and Enduring Freedom in 2003 only to be killed in the line of duty defending Members of Congress and staff and the Capitol building during a joint session of Congress," said the Republican Congressman.

“Officer Sicknick gave his life protecting the United States Capitol, and by extension, our very democracy, from violent insurrection," said Murphy. "His needless murder at the hands of a mob bent on overthrowing the Constitution he had dedicated his life to upholding is shocking. It is my fervent hope that the rioters whose actions directly contributed to his death are quickly identified and brought to justice.”

“The domestic terrorists who stormed the U.S. Capitol and all those responsible for inciting this seditious attack must be held accountable," said U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ).

Said Gov. Murphy:

“Tammy and I send our deepest condolences to Officer Sicknick’s family and friends, as well as to his United States Capitol Police colleagues and the Guardsmen and Guardswomen he served alongside. We thank him for his service to our nation."

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.