In the aftermath of the January 6th incursion and insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, major mainstream media outlets announced the death of New Jersey born Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick. Media accounts confirmed that Officer Sicknick was murdered by the “Trump Mob” who beat him to death with a fire extinguisher.
The Associated Press Reported:
The Capitol Police said in a statement that Sicknick was injured “while physically engaging with protesters.” During the struggle, Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, two law enforcement officials said. The officials could not discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
That was the believed narrative until February 23rd when Sicknick’s mother Gladys Sicknick provided more details about her son’s death.
Sicknick died one day later. After the Capitol protesters were dispersed from the U.S. Capitol, he returned to his office and eventually was taken to the hospital suffering possibly from side effects of inhaling pepper or bear spray.
The Daily Mail interviewed Mrs. Sicknick and posted her comments online.
She said, ‘He wasn’t hit on the head no. We think he had a stroke, but we don’t know anything for sure. We’d love to know what happened.’
The elder Sicknick said she believes her son instead died from a stroke.
The mother of the US Capitol police officer who died following the riot on January 6 believes that her son succumbed to a fatal stroke – that he was not bludgeoned to death by a fire extinguisher as reported.
Yet more than one month after Officer Brian Sicknick’s death on January 7, she has admitted that they are still in the dark as to what exactly caused that catastrophic episode.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com Gladys Sicknick, 74, was unequivocal in her assertion that Officer Brian Sicknick was not struck on the head and that as far as the family knows her son had a fatal stroke.
What we do know is that Sicknick died as a result of his response to the incursion at the U.S. Capitol and died while in the line of duty. Taking the Daily Mail’s report as accurate and factual, it is safe to say Officer Sicknick did not die from blunt force trauma by a fire extinguisher. It has been unproven and undetermined exactly what caused Sicknick’s death. His family believes it could have been a negative reaction to the pepper spray or bear spray sprayed by both sides at the event. It is as of now undetermined which side’s spray affected him, but his brother claims to have received a text from Brian telling him it was bear spray from the rioters.
At this point, we can say with near certainty that while tragic, unnecessary and unfortunate, Officer Sicknick did not die as the media claimed, by a blunt force injury from a fire extinguisher at the hands of incursions it would appear at this time. It is unknown whether the blood clot that resulted in his eventual stroke was the result of blunt force trauma or an adverse reaction to the spray.
CNN has since fact-checked their own incorrect reporting.
Investigators have determined that initial reports suggesting Sicknick was struck with a fire extinguisher aren’t true, CNN previously reported.