January 30, 2021
Source/United State Capitol Police
U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick, 42, will be laid in honor at the U.S. Capitol next week.
Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died after the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, will lie in honor next week in the Capitol Rotunda, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Friday.
Sicknick, a New Jersey native and military veteran, died from injuries he sustained after he was assaulted by rioters during the insurrection on Jan. 6. He was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during the attack.
Sicknick's body will arrive at the Capitol on Tuesday and members of the Capitol Police will have a viewing ceremony, USA Today reported.
Members of Congress will hold a viewing Wednesday morning and give a congressional tribute before a ceremonial departure at noon. These ceremonies will be closed to the general public due to the pandemic.
“The U.S. Congress is united in grief, gratitude and solemn appreciation for the service and sacrifice of Officer Brian Sicknick,” Schumer and Pelosi said in a statement Friday. "His sacrifice reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and to the people we serve.”
He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery after the ceremonies, Politico reported.
Two South Carolina Republicans, Rep. Ralph Norman and Sen. Tim Scott, introduced a bill Thursday to have Sicknick lie in honor, have the House pay for his funeral and install a commemorative plaque in the building.
“The heroism of Officer Sicknick and the Capitol Police force during the violent insurrection against our Capitol helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy and ensure that the Congress was not diverted from our duty to the Constitution," Schumer and Pelosi's statement read.
"Lying in state" became tradition in 1852, and is typically reserved for elected officials and military officers. Congress has recently allowed pre-eminent citizens to "lie in honor," though it's fairly rare.
Two other Capitol Police officers who died in the line of duty were lain in honor: Officer Jacob J. Chesnut Jr. and Detective John M. Gibson.
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