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How did Brian Sicknick die? Capitol cop's family thinks 'he had a stroke' and was not hit by fire extinguisher

Sicknick's mother Gladys Sicknick said that a month later, the family is still unaware of what exactly caused his death. The 74-year-old seemed sure when she said her son was not struck on the head

Officer Brian Sicknick's death is an enigma. Over a month after his death, his family still waits for answers from the administration. His mother now says that Sicknick's death was not the result of being bludgeoned to death by a fire extinguisher as earlier reported but actually a result of a fatal stroke. 

The US Capitol police officer who died following the riots of January 6, 2021, had been the subject of debates online for more than a month now as authorities reportedly won't divulge information and the restless public indulged in relevant discussions. 

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In a recent report, Sicknick's mother Gladys Sicknick said that a month later, the family is still unaware of what exactly caused his death. The 74-year-old mother seemed sure when she spoke to Daily Mail and said that her son was not struck on the head. As far as the family knew, he had a fatal stroke. 

"He wasn’t hit on the head, no. We think he had a stroke, but we don’t know anything for sure," she said according to the report, adding, "We’d love to know what happened."

Sicknick's death was a tragedy that has gripped social media since the news was announced. What actually happened that day? How did he really die? The questions surrounding his death have been answered with only speculations, especially with the lack of official information. 

Earlier this month, The New York Times was slammed by social media users for discreetly editing an article about Sicknick's death. Initially claiming that he was killed due to blunt force trauma from a fire extinguisher, the updated version of the story read "Capitol Police officer dies from injuries in pro-Trump rampage". 

“[Pro]-Trump supporters … overpowered Mr Sicknick, 42, and struck him in the head with a fire extinguisher, according to two law enforcement officials,” the paper reported. What makes matters worse is the fact that the article was quoted and used by Democrats during Trump's second impeachment trial in the pretrial memo. "Insurrectionists killed a Capitol police officer by striking him in the head with a fire extinguisher," the trial memorandum, read.

Doubts were cast on the fire extinguisher story as reports emerged that Sicknick's brother Ken said that he texted the family hours after the attack. "He texted me last night and said, ‘I got pepper-sprayed twice’ and he was in good shape,' Ken reportedly told ProPublica. "Apparently he collapsed in the Capitol and they resuscitated him using CPR."

According to a story published in CNN, medical examiners could not find signs that Officer Sicknick "sustained any blunt force trauma". The fact that the real cause of Sicknick's death took a backseat and was overshadowed by Trump's impeachment has angered a lot of people online.

"Tell her the truth and explain why you lied and used her son as a prop for Congress to visit as his body laid in the Capitol," an angry user said. "The mother of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick said her son was not beaten with a fire extinguisher by a mob on Jan 6 (He was not beaten at all. He likely suffered a stroke.) How on earth could the entire news media make such a huge reporting mistake? #wednesdaythought," another tweeted.