Death of Brian Sicknick

On January 7, 2021, a United States Capitol Police (USCP) officer, Brian Sicknick, died in hospital the day after collapsing at the U.S. Capitol after suffering two strokes. Sicknick had responded to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol during which he had been assaulted with pepper spray by two rioters. His cremated remains were laid in honor in the Capitol Rotunda on February 2, 2021, before they were buried with full honors at Arlington National Cemetery.

Within a day of his death, the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Justice Department announced that his death was due to injuries from the attack. For several weeks, several media sources incorrectly reported Sicknick had died after being struck in the head with a fire extinguisher during the unrest, citing two "anonymous law enforcement officials" as their source. Months later, however, the Washington, D.C. medical examiner reported that Sicknick had died as a result of two strokes, classifying his death as due to natural causes, but later commented that "all that transpired played a role in his condition". The ruling was criticized by some expert neurologists, who argued that stress resulting from the insurrection at the Capitol may have caused the stroke. The medical examiner found no evidence that Sicknick had an allergic reaction to the pepper spray.

Sicknick's death was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch, the USCP, and the FBI. On March 14, Julian Khater and George Tanios were arrested for assaulting Sicknick with a chemical spray. On January 28, 2023, Khater was sentenced to almost seven years in prison for assaulting an officer with a chemical irritant. The assailant was given a presidential pardon on January 20, 2025, by Donald Trump.