A POLICE officer has died following the riots in the US Capitol on Wednesday.
Officer Brian D Sicknick died at approximately 9:30pm local time yesterday "due to injuries sustained while on-duty". He became the fifth person to die due to the riot.
The full statement from Capitol Police said: “Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters.
"He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The death of Officer Sicknick will be investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch, the USCP, and our federal partners.
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“Officer Sicknick joined the USCP in July 2008, and most recently served in the Department’s First Responder’s Unit.
“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.
“We ask that Officer Sicknick’s family, and other USCP officers’ and their families’ privacy be respected during this time.”
It is likely that the Federal Bureau of Investigation will become involved, but in the meantime the Capitol Police have been arresting those suspected of unlawful entry.
The death of Officer Sicknick massively changes the situation for US President Donald Trump.
His death and injuries to other Capitol Police personnel may have been the reason why Trump, who had earlier described the rioters as patriots and said "we love you", changed tack completely and issued a ringing condemnation of the rioters.
READ MORE: Trump supporters storm Washington DC as US descends into chaos
Trump said he was “outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem” and claimed he had “immediately deployed the national guard and federal law enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders.”
He added: “The demonstrators who infiltrated the Capitol have defiled the seat of American democracy. To those who engaged in the acts of violence and destruction, you do not represent our country. And to those who broke the law, you will pay.”
Promising a “smooth orderly and seamless transition of power” on January 20, Trump said “tempers must be cooled and calm restored.”
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