Protesters confront police at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2020. (Video screenshot)
The medical examiner in Washington, D.C., says the death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick after the Jan. 6 riot there was due to natural causes – complications from a stroke he suffered the day after the violence.
Democrats long have blamed the crowd of mostly Trump-supporting activists who marched to the Capitol and broke in, mostly vandalizing a variety of offices, that day as they protested Congress' plans to formalize Joe Biden's election victory.
The Washington Examiner said Francisco Diaz, the chief medical examiner in D.C., reported to the Washington Post that Sicknick died after suffering two strokes.
He explained there was no allergic reaction to chemical irritants.
The 42-year-old officer died a day after the riot developed at the Capitol.
Capitol police had openly blamed the protesters for the death, apparently without confirming evidence.
"Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters. He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries," police said at that time.
And former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen announced in a statement that the officer died due "to the injuries he suffered defending the U.S. Capitol against the violent mob who stormed it."
WND previously reported that key officials at the U.S. Capitol were warned in advance that the Jan. 6 protest there could deteriorate, through violence, to "a significantly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public alike."
But in instructions to the Capitol Police, they claimed, apparently contrary to the evidence, that there were "no specific known threats related to the joint session of Congress" meeting to certify Joe Biden's election victory.
Those details are from a new report, "Review of the Events Surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Takeover of the U.S. Capitol," from Inspector General Michael Bolton.
A copy was obtained by the New York Times and the Hill has reported on it.
The report said, "Capitol Police officers were instructed by leaders not to use their most aggressive tactics when responding to the mob of pro-Trump rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to a new report from the agency’s internal watchdog."
Bolton said three days before the events, officials were warned during an intelligence assessment of the possibility of trouble.
"Stop the Steal’s propensity to attract white supremacists, militia members, and others who actively promote violence may lead to a significantly dangerous situation for law enforcement and the general public alike," the assessment charged, according to Bolton.
But he noted that the Capitol Police’s Civil Disturbance Unit, charged with handling large events, "was ordered by supervisors not to use the department’s most powerful tools and techniques," the report said.
Legacy media outlets had claimed for a long time that Sicknick had been struck in the head with a fire extinguisher from the hands of Trump supporters.
Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact licensing@wndnewscenter.org.
SUPPORT TRUTHFUL JOURNALISM. MAKE A DONATION TO THE NONPROFIT WND NEWS CENTER. THANK YOU!
The post Medical examiner announces cause of death for Capitol cop appeared first on WND.
