Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick suffered a stroke and died of natural causes, according to a Monday report from the Washington D.C. Medical Examiner’s office.
This answers perhaps one of the most sought after questions following the Capitol riot on January 6. The mainstream media and democrat party enjoyed months of blaming protesters, but really it's been known all along he did not die from the protest.
The medical examiner’s office concluded that Sicknick’s manner of death was natural, and added an explanation: “If death is hastened by an injury, the manner of death is not considered natural.”
Two men were arrested last month on charges of assaulting Sicknick with a chemical spray, but prosecutors and the medical examiner did not find any correlation between the incident and his death.
After being sprayed with the substance around 2 p.m. on January 6, Sicknick collapsed at the Capitol around 10 p.m. and was taken to a hospital, where he died the following evening, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The two men face charges including: conspiring to injure an officer, assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon, civil disorder, obstructing an official proceeding, and engaging in physical violence on restricted grounds while carrying a dangerous weapon that resulted in significant bodily injuries.
Because of the medical examiner’s report, the possibility of prosecutors charging them with an assault leading to death is unlikely. However, they do face a potential for lengthy prison sentences, with maximum terms of 20 years.
For the last few months, the Capitol Police force said Sicknick was injured while protecting Congress from Trump supporters, saying he had “succumbed to his injuries” upon arrival to the hospital. But, they never explained what actually led to his death.
To reiterate, it's really been known all along he did not die from the protest.
The Capitol Police said Monday that they accept the medical examiner’s new findings.
“This does not change the fact Officer Sicknick died in the Line of Duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol,” the agency said in a statement.