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Biden pays respects to slain US Capitol officer as he lies in honour

Biden pays respects to slain US Capitol officer as he lies in honour

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pay their respects to the late United States Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick as an urn with his cremated remains lies in honour on a black-draped table at centre of the Capitol Rotunda in Washington on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021. (Photo: AP/Erin Schaff, The New York Times, Pool)

WASHINGTON: Slain United States Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick lay in honour in the building he died defending, allowing colleagues and the lawmakers he protected to pay their respects and to remember the violent attack on Congress that took his life.

Sicknick died after defending the Capitol on Jan 6 against the mob that stormed the building and interrupted the electoral count after then president Donald Trump urged supporters on the National Mall to “fight like hell” to overturn his defeat.

The US Capitol Police said in a statement that Sicknick, who died the next day, was injured “while physically engaging with protesters”, though a final cause of death has not yet been determined.

READ: Trump 'singularly responsible' for riot, impeachment trial brief claims

President Joe Biden travelled to the Capitol to pay tribute to Sicknick shortly after the ceremony began on Tuesday (Feb 2) night, briefly placing his hand on the urn in the centre of the Capitol Rotunda, saying a prayer and sadly shaking his head as he observed a memorial wreath nearby.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and a handful of other congressional leaders also paid their respects.

The arrival of Sicknick's remains at 9.30pm was solemn, with dozens of Capitol Police standing at attention as his urn was carried up the Capitol steps.

An honour guard carries an urn with the cremated remains of United States Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and a folded American flag up the steps of the Capitol in Washington to lie in honour in the Rotunda on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon, Pool) An honor guard carries an urn with the cremated remains of US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and a folded American flag up the steps of the U.S Capitol to lie in honor in the Rotunda, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

There was a viewing period for his Capitol Police colleagues overnight, and lawmakers were to pay tribute at a ceremony on Wednesday morning.

A ceremonial departure for Arlington National Cemetery was planned later in the day.

Members of Congress remain shaken by the riots and are grappling with what it means not only for the future of the country, but for their own security as elected representatives.

READ: US issues terror alert over anti-government extremists

While lawmakers were united in denouncing the riots, and Trump’s role in them, the parties are now largely split on how to move forward.

The attack led to uncertainty, fear and political turmoil in Congress as Biden began his presidency.

An honour guard carries an urn with the cremated remains of United States Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and a folded American flag up the steps of the Capitol in Washington to lie in honour in the Rotunda on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021. (Photo: AP/Alex Brandon, Pool) An honor guard carries an urn with the cremated remains of US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and folded flag up the steps of the U.S Capitol to lie in honor in the Rotunda, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, Pool)

House Democrats impeached Trump a week after the attack, sending a charge of “incitement of insurrection” to the Senate, where Republicans are unlikely to provide the votes necessary to convict him.

At the same time, the building has been cut off from the public, surrounded by large metal fences and defended by the National Guard.

Sicknick, 42, of South River, New Jersey, enlisted in the National Guard six months after graduating from high school in 1997, then deployed to Saudi Arabia and later Kyrgyzstan.

He joined the Capitol Police in 2008. Like many of his fellow officers, he often worked security in the Capitol itself and was known to lawmakers, staff and others who passed through the building’s doors each morning.

READ: Biden takes steps to narrow racial divide, says America is 'ready to change'

There are still questions about his death, which was one of five as a result of the rioting. As the mob forced its way in, Sicknick was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher, two law enforcement officials said.

He collapsed later on, was hospitalised and died. The officials could not discuss the ongoing investigation publicly and spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Investigators are also examining whether Sicknick may have ingested a chemical substance during the riot that may have contributed to his death, the officials said.

An honour guard carries an urn with the cremated remains of United States Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and a folded American flag up the steps of the Capitol in Washington to lie in honour in the Rotunda on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021. (File photo: AP/Jim Lo Scalzo, Pool) An honor guard carries an urn with the cremated remains of US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick and a folded American flag up the steps of the U.S Capitol to lie in honor in the Rotunda, Tuesday, Feb. 2, 2021, in Washington. (Jim Lo Scalzo/Pool photo via AP)

Biden's tribute on Tuesday evening stood in stark contrast to Trump, who never made a public expression of sorrow over the officer's death or took any responsibility for the attack.

Pelosi and Schumer announced last week that Sicknick would lie in honour, saying his heroism “helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy and ensure that the Congress was not diverted from our duty to the Constitution”.

His sacrifice, they said, “reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and to the people we serve”.

READ: AOC video cements status as progressive star and scourge of right

Pelosi said in a letter to colleagues on Tuesday that the Capitol Police “demonstrated extraordinary valour” on Jan 6 and urged members to pay their respects to Sicknick. She has also encouraged members to take advantage of trauma resources available to congressional employees.

She said protecting the Capitol and the lawmakers who work there is a “highest priority” and that there will be a need for extra money to do so.

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden pay their respects to the late United States Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick as an urn with his cremated remains lies in honour on a black-draped table at centre of Capitol Rotunda in Washington on Tuesday, Feb 2, 2021. (Photo: AP/Leah Millis, Pool)

During the assault, many of the insurrectionists called out for members, including Pelosi. They also targeted then vice president Mike Pence, who was in the building to preside over the electoral count.

“The insurrectionist attack on Jan 6 was not only an attack on the Capitol, but was a traumatic assault targeting Members,” she said.

READ: Capitol Police chief apologises for failures in Jan 6 siege

Sicknick is only the fifth person to lie in honour in the Capitol Rotunda, a designation for those who are not elected officials, judges or military leaders.

The others who have lain in honour were John Gibson and Jacob Chestnut Jr, two officers who were killed in a 1998 shooting at the Capitol; civil rights leader Rosa Parks, who died in 2005; and the Reverend Billy Graham, who died in 2018.

Source: AP/kg

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