WASHINGTON (AP) – Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who died at the hands of the mob that besieged the US Capitol on Jan. 6, will lie in honor of the building’s rotunda next week, congressional leaders said Friday.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer released a joint statement saying, “The heroism of Agent Sicknick and the Capitol Police during the violent uprising against our Capitol helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy to keep Congress from being distracted from our duty to the Constitution. His sacrifice reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and the people we serve. “
Congress will hold a ceremonial arrival for Sicknick on Tuesday night, followed by a nighttime viewing period for members of the Capitol Police. Lawmakers will pay tribute Wednesday morning for a ceremonial departure to Arlington National Cemetery, where Sicknick will be buried.
Due to the pandemic of the coronavirus, the ceremonies are only open to invited guests.
Sicknick, 42, of South River, New Jersey, joined the National Guard six months after graduating high school in 1997, where he went to Saudi Arabia and then Kyrgyzstan. He joined the US Capitol Police in 2008.
During the siege of the Capitol, while rioters over President Donald Trump’s election loss stormed the building, Sicknick was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher. He died the next day.
In their joint statement, Pelosi and Schumer said: “On behalf of the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is a great privilege to pay tribute to Officer Sicknick with this honorary ceremony. May this ceremony and the knowledge with which so many mourn and pray for them be a comfort to Agent Sicknick’s family during this sad time. “