Four officers who fought off U.S. Capitol attack have committed suicide

Edited by Ed Newman
2021-08-03 23:40:12

Pinterest
Telegram
Linkedin
WhatsApp

The January 6 mayhem at the US Capitol led to Trump's second impeachment trial. More than 500 people have been arrested for their roles in the violence [File: Brent Stirton/Getty Images via AFP]

Washington, August 4 (RHC)-- The U.S. District of Columbia’s police department has announced that two more police officers who responded to the January 6 riot at the United States Capitol have died by suicide, bringing to four the number of known suicides by officers on duty at the building that day.

Metropolitan Police Officer Gunther Hashida was found dead in his home on Thursday, department spokesman Hugh Carew said in a statement.  “We are grieving as a department and our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Hashida’s family and friends,” the police spokesman was quoted by news reports as saying.

Another MPD officer who responded to the Capitol on January 6, Kyle DeFreytag, was found dead on July 10, Carew said. DeFreytag’s cause of death was also suicide, Carew said.   He had been with the force since November 2016.  At a closed-door meeting with leaders of Congress in January, Acting Chief of Police Robert Contee III told legislators that Smith took his life “in the aftermath of that battle.”

Meanwhile, Liebengood died by suicide just three days after supporters of Donald Trump stormed the Capitol in an unsuccessful attempt to stop Congress from certifying Democratic President Joe Biden’s election victory.

Four people died on a day of unprecedented violence in the United States.  A Capitol police officer who had been attacked by protesters died the following day.   More than 100 police officers were injured.



Commentaries


MAKE A COMMENT
All fields required
NOT TO BE PUBLISHED
captcha challenge
up