Officer Brian Sicknick suffered multiple strokes and died of “natural causes” the day after defending Capitol Hill from a violent insurrection on Jan. 6, D.C.’s medical examiner ruled on Monday.
The news was first reported by the Washington Post.
The released documents list the 42-year-old’s cause of death as “acute brainstem and cerebellar infarcts due to acute basilar artery thrombosis.” Chief medical examiner Dr. Francisco J. Diaz found Sicknick’s manner of death to be “natural.”
The documents also offer a timeline of the events on Jan. 6, saying Sicknick was sprayed by “a chemical substance” around 2:20 p.m. EST outside the U.S. Capitol. Around 10 p.m. that same day, Officer Sicknick collapsed and was sent to a local hospital.
Sicknick passed away the following day around 9:30 p.m. EST.
Of those who died during or after the Jan. 6 insurrection, Officer Sicknick’s cause of death was the last to be determined. The idea that Sicknick died after being sprayed by a chemical irritant had emerged in the weeks since as a new theory in the case.
Five people died during the riot, including a woman who was shot by a police officer inside the Capitol.
Last month, officials arrested and charged two men with assaulting U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick with bear spray during the Jan. 6 riot. At the time, officials said they did not yet know whether it caused the officer’s death.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
