One main concept that investigators are contemplating is that the suspects sprayed an irritant, maybe bear spray, that induced Sicknick to undergo a deadly response, the official stated and CNN has beforehand reported.
Sicknick, a 13-year veteran of the police power, died on January 7, at some point after he collapsed in his workplace after being “injured whereas bodily partaking with protestors,” the Capitol Police stated in an announcement final month.
Investigators have struggled for weeks to construct a federal homicide case in Sicknick’s loss of life as they pored over video and pictures to attempt to decide the second when he suffered his deadly accidents. Investigators have decided that preliminary studies suggesting Sicknick was struck with a hearth extinguisher aren’t true, CNN beforehand reported.
Greater than 100 different cops had been injured within the melee final month, together with a minimum of 15 officers who required hospitalization, in keeping with court docket paperwork.
A number of folks have been charged with assaulting cops within the weeks since, however none thus far in relation to Sicknick.
Prosecutors have devoted a group contained in the DC US Lawyer’s Workplace to analyze the officer’s loss of life and different officer assaults.
Sicknick’s loss of life is being investigated by the DC Metropolitan Police Division’s murder department, the US Capitol Police and federal authorities.
Metropolitan Police Division Public Info Officer Sean Hickman instructed CNN on Wednesday that the case stays beneath lively investigation, and there’s no additional data out there to supply right now.
Eva Malecki, a spokeswoman for US Capitol Police, stated the Sicknick household, respectfully, declined to remark.
Footage featured throughout Wednesday’s impeachment proceedings highlighted the position that regulation enforcement officers performed throughout the January 6 riot in searching for to guard lawmakers from the insurrectionists.
The movies included footage of officers being overwhelmed by the rioters in addition to pictures depicting simply how shut the mob contained in the Capitol got here to reaching lawmakers. The Home managers confirmed safety footage of senators fleeing their chamber, with Capitol Cops between them and rioters simply steps away.
Impeachment managers Del. Stacey Plaskett of the Virgin Islands and Rep. Eric Swalwell of California methodically walked by how the rioters breached the Capitol and overtook the constructing, attacking cops for a number of hours even after lawmakers had been whisked away to security.
Swalwell concluded by displaying footage of cops being violently attacked by the rioters, together with one officer screaming for assist as he was pressed up towards a Capitol door. The footage included a Washington, DC, Metropolitan Police officer who was violently attacked with weapons and tased by the rioters whereas guarding the entrance of the Capitol.
This story has been up to date with extra data.
CNN’s Jeremy Herb, Manu Raju, Lauren Fox and Annie Grayer contributed to this report.