Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Jan 6 committee shows last video of Capitol Police officer before he died: ‘He was ghostly pale’

Brian Sicknick was first officer to die as a result of riot

John Bowden
Friday 10 June 2022 00:10 EDT
Comments
Jan 6 committee share never-before-seen footage of Capitol riot

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Video footage of Brian Sicknick, the police officer who would die a day after the Capitol riot, was played on Thursday shortly before the committee adjourned for the night.

In the video, a uniformed officer identified as Mr Sicknick is seen holding his face in pain after apparently being attacked with pepper spray. The actual attack itself is not clearly visible.

Mr Sicknick is seen being aided by another officer before the video ends.

Officer Caroline Edwards, a member of US Capitol Police, described seeing Mr Sicknick after the attack.

“He was ghostly pale,” she told the committee.

Mr Sicknick was one of five Capitol Police officers whose deaths can be linked to the violent attack on the Capitol complex.

His death was ruled the result of a stroke a day after the riot; an exact cause of death was not linked to his injuries, but it is known that he was maced and beaten during the attack.

Four other police officers died by suicide in the days and weeks following the siege, with morale among Capitol Police reportedly suffering significantly as a result of the attack.

Attendees at Thursday’s hearing were seen thanking and in some cases embracing members of Capitol Police who were present after a shocking video depicting bodycam and documentary footage of the violent mob was shown by the committee.

Dozens of officers across multiple law enforcement agencies were wounded during the attack in addition to the fatalities that have been blamed on the riot; the building itself also suffered significant damage as rioters forced themselves in through windows and past metal police barricades before vandalising offices inside.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in