Joe Biden, Kamala Harris pay respects to officer killed in US Capitol siege
- Brian Sicknick died after defending the Capitol on January 6 against protesters that stormed the building and interrupted the electoral count
- The US Capitol Police said Sicknick was injured ‘while physically engaging with protesters’, though a final cause of death has not yet been determined
Slain US Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick lay in honour on Wednesday in the building he died defending as colleagues and the lawmakers he protected paid their respects.
Sicknick died after defending the Capitol on January 6 against protesters that stormed the building and interrupted the electoral count after then-President Donald Trump urged supporters on the National Mall to “fight like hell” to overturn his defeat.
The US Capitol Police said in a statement that Sicknick, who died the next day, was injured “while physically engaging with protesters”, though a final cause of death has not yet been determined.
President Joe Biden travelled to the Capitol to pay tribute to Sicknick shortly after the ceremony began on Tuesday night, briefly placing his hand on the urn in the centre of the Capitol Rotunda, saying a prayer and sadly shaking his head as he observed a memorial wreath nearby.
He was accompanied by First Lady Jill Biden. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and a handful of other congressional leaders also paid their respects.