Holly MatkinUPDATE: U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) corrected his earlier statement and said that the photo he released was of a man wanted for questioning in connection with the Capitol riot, but he was not a person of interest in the death of a Capitol Police officer.
Washington, DC – U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) have released photos of the man wanted for questioning in connection with the Capitol riot attack that killed USCP Officer Brian Sicknick.
Officer Sicknick, 42, collapsed at his division office after he was “injured while physically engaging with protesters” at the Capitol Building on Jan. 6, the USCP said in a press release.
The department did not elaborate on the injuries he suffered, but two law enforcement officials said he was hit with a fire extinguisher as rioters stormed through the halls of Congress and lawmakers hid beneath their desks, The New York Times reported.
U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy (R – Louisiana) posted photos of a person of interest to Twitter on Tuesday morning.
The white male pictured in the images had a greying goatee and was wearing a dark-colored hat emblazoned with the letters “CFD.”
One of the photos appeared to show the man preparing to throw a red fire extinguisher.
“U.S. Capitol Police just shared this picture with me,” Cassidy tweeted. “This man is wanted for questioning in connection with the murder of fallen Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick.”
The senator urged anyone who recognizes the man to contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
That tweet has since been deleted and Cassidy tweeted that he’d made an error with his earlier announcement.
Capitol Police has informed me this individual is a person of interest, but for a separate incident that occurred at the Capitol on Jan. 6th. Please direct any information to: https://t.co/rl0XXPPml6 https://t.co/qUeQ1mO7w7
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) January 12, 2021
Officer Sicknick was rushed to a local hospital in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack, where his family learned he had a blood clot on his brain and had been placed on a ventilator, his brother, Craig Sicknick, told the Daily Beast.
The veteran officer remained hospitalized until his death at approximately 9:30 p.m. on Jan.7, according to the USCP.
“After a day of fighting for his life, he passed away a hero,” Officer Sicknick’s brother told ABC News in a statement. “I would like to thank all of his brothers and sisters in law enforcement for the incredible compassion and support they have shown my family. My family and I hope that our privacy can be respected as we grieve. Thank you.”
Officer Sicknick, a 12-and-one-half-year veteran of the department, served in the Air National Guard prior to joining the USCP in 2008, his brother told the Daily Beast.
He also served in Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Desert Shield, his brother said.
Officer Sicknick was most recently assigned to the USCP First Responders Unit, the agency said in the press release.
“The entire USCP Department expresses its deepest sympathies to Officer Sicknick’s family and friends on their loss, and mourns the loss of a friend and colleague,” the USCP said.
The DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) Homicide Unit is one of several law enforcement agencies who are handling the investigation into his death, as well as the investigation into the violent events that unfolded at the Capitol Building.
Sandy Malone
