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Brian Sicknick's death compared to George Floyd's, Internet outraged over 'natural cause' of both deaths

Twitter users are expressing their disapproval not only over Sicknick's medical result but also over claims that Floyd's death was not because of Derek Chauvin's knee on his neck

Ever since it was announced that Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes following the insurrection, Twitter has been livid. What makes matters worse is that the medical examiner's conclusion comes at a time when the socio-political atmosphere is very charged in the midst of the Derek Chauvin trial. 

Several people on social media were outraged over medical examiner Dr Francisco Diaz's conclusions, and compared Sicknick's death with that of George Floyd. On paper, the two cases are not exactly comparable with each other. But it looks that by doing so, people are trying to question the system - and by extension, the people who believe in the system. 

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Brian Sicknick's death 

The question of how exactly Capitol Police officer Sicknick died has been raised ever since his death on January 7, 2021, just a day after the January 6, 2021 riots. For the longest time, it was a debate that took over social media as many users openly contemplated the real cause of the death - did he really die in the line of duty and who or what was responsible for his death? Particularly because all of this was happening around the time there were calls for Donald Trump's impeachment - and a lot hinged on it. 

On April 19, 2021, the medical examiner for the District of Columbia reportedly said that Sicknick's autopsy showed he exhibited no signs of internal or external injuries that he might have suffered the previous day. The examiner concluded that Sicknick suffered two strokes the next day on January 7, 2021, and eventually died of natural causes. 

The medical examiner's office said in an email Monday that Sicknick's death was ruled "natural" and was not "hastened by an injury." The Washington Post also reported that Diaz "noted that Sicknick was among the officers who engaged the Capitol mob and said 'all that transpired played a role in his condition.'”

Needless to say, there is a lot of outrage on social media regarding this. 

Why are people comparing Sicknick to George Floyd?

Many people are taking to social media to express their disapproval of Diaz's conclusion in Sicknick's death. There are many who are calling attention to the case by comparing it with that of George Floyd's. 

During the Derek Chauvin trial, Dr David Fowler, a retired forensic pathologist, had testified that Floyd actually died of heart disease and not from having his neck knelt on. There's more - he also testified that he believes Floyd died of a sudden irregular heartbeat due to his underlying heart conditions, use of fentanyl and methamphetamine and possible carbon monoxide he inhaled from a nearby police cruiser in May 2020.

If you have been following the case, you might note that Fowler's testimony stands in contrast to that of prosecution experts, who claimed that Floyd succumbed to lack of oxygen as he was pinned down.

'No one believes...'

Twitter users are expressing their concern and disapproval not only over Sicknick's medical result but also over claims that Floyd's death was not because of Chauvin's knee on his neck. "If you believe #Briansicknick would've died of a heart attack on Jan 6th, regardless of his encounters w/ the insurrectionists, you probably believe #GeorgeFloyd would've had a heart attack and died on 5/25 even if #DerekChauvin wasn't on his neck," one user tweeted. "No one believes Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes. No one believes George Floyd wasn’t killed by Derek Chauvin," another said along similar lines. 

"Yeah, Brian Sicknick just happened to suffer two strokes the day after Trump supporters attacked our country in the same way George Floyd just happened to experience a cardiac event while his neck was under the knee of Derek Chauvin. What the fuck ever," a user said. Another tweeted along similar lines, "I don’t know. It seems to me that saying Officer Brian Sicknick died of natural causes during an insurrection is like saying George Floyd would have died even without Derek Chauvin’s knee on his neck."

For those who refused to change their perspective, a user spelt it out, "There are people who actually “believe” George Floyd killed himself and simultaneously think Brian Sicknick’s stroke was caused by the Capitol “protests”. Derek Chauvin absolutely killed George Floyd and the protests caused the death of Brian Sicknick. It’s not complicated."