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Brian Sicknick cause of death: Did DOJ cover it up? Capitol cop suffered two strokes and died of natural causes

'You are an idiot if you believe that the assault that Officer Sicknick experienced at the hands of the Capitol rioters wasn't a cause of his strokes,' claimed a user

Back in January during the Capitol riots, the death of an on-duty officer named Brian Sicknick sent the public into a frenzy. Many blamed the violent rioters for the death of Sicknick. Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of West Virginia, were arrested and charged with assaulting Sicknick in March.

But the Washington DC's chief medical examiner, Francisco Diaz announced on Monday, April 19, that the autopsy conducted on Sicknick revealed that he suffered from two strokes and died of natural causes the day after he confronted rioters during the January 6 insurrection riots. According to Diaz, the 42-year-old officer's autopsy revealed no evidence of suffering from an allergic reaction to chemical irritants sprayed on him by the two accused men. Sicknick instead succumbed to "acute brainstem and cerebellar infarcts due to acute basilar artery thrombosis."

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According to the medical examiner's report, Sicknick was sprayed with a chemical substance on January 6 at around 2:20 pm and collapsed at the Capitol around 10 pm on the same evening. He died around 9:30 pm on January 7, as per the examiner's office. Diaz however admitted to The Washington Post that the events that transpired on January 6 "played a role in his condition."

Federal officers arrested and charged Julian Elie Khater and George Perre Tanios with assaulting Sicknick with 'bear spray' during the riot. But in the light of the medical examiner's report, the Justice Department (DOJ) won't be able to pursue homicide charges in Sicknick's death. Capitol Police issued a statement on Monday that the department "accepts the findings from the Office of the Medical Examiner, but this does not change the fact Officer Brian Sicknick died in the Line of Duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol. The Department continues to mourn the loss of our beloved colleague. The attack on our officers, including Brian, was an attack on our democracy."

Although the Department of Justice and the Capitol Police seem to agree with the medical examiner's reports and autopsy, the internet isn't entirely convinced about Sicknick's cause of death. Many internet users believe that the Capitol riots that took place in January is the main culprit behind the innocent officer's demise. A user tweeted, "The DOJ did lie about the death of Officer Sicknick. Based on the past few years, Americans can expect zero accountability. Big tech & the media can erase/excuse/undermine etc but that will not change the truth."

Many users blamed Donald Trump for Sicknick's death. A user wrote, "Officer Sicknick died of homicide by Trumpism." Another user echoed similar thoughts with, "Officer Sicknick would not have died from strokes if he wasn't trying to defend the Capitol from supporters of donald trump on Jan. 6. They killed him." 

Others blamed the violent riots for inducing strokes in Officer Sicknick. A user shared, "Here are the natural causes officer Sicknick died from at the capitol." Another user seconded, "Officer Sicknick, may he Rest In Peace, died of two strokes. Two strokes that most certainly would not have happened if insurrectionists had not stormed the Capitol on January 6." "You are an idiot if you believe that the assault that Officer Sicknick experienced at the hands of the Capitol rioters wasn't a cause of his strokes," commented an angry user.

Sicknick was one of five people who died after a pro-Trump mob stormed the US Capitol. About 140 officers were injured in the siege, according to the Capitol Police officers' union. Officer Sicknick's remains were laid in honor in the US Capitol Rotunda.