Brian D. Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who died from injuries sustained while clashing with the mob that stormed the Capitol, was the fifth person to lie in honor there.
Brian D. Sicknick, the Capitol Police officer who died from injuries sustained during the Jan.6 riot at the Capitol, lay in honor on Wednesday in the building he once protected, his remains carried out for a final time through doors still shattered by the rampage. Members of his family, lawmakers and Capitol Police officers gathered in the Rotunda for a somewhat socially distanced service for Officer Sicknick, the fifth person to lie in honor at the Capitol and only the fifth member of the force to die in the line of duty. “Blessed are the peacekeepers like Brian,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader. “Let us be peacekeepers now in his memory.” Officer Sicknick died after clashing with the pro-Trump mob that stormed the Capitol last month, sending lawmakers and former Vice President Mike Pence fleeing in an attack that shook the nation and brought new scrutiny to the Capitol Police force. The chief, as well as the top security officials in the House and the Senate, have all resigned in the aftermath of the riot, and the acting chief has apologized to Congress for the department’s missteps, saying it was woefully underprepared for an onslaught it knew in advance was possible. Politics were notably absent from the ceremonies honoring Officer Sicknick, which began Tuesday, when President Biden traveled to the Capitol to pay homage. They continued on Wednesday as Vice President Kamala Harris and lawmakers in both parties visited his remains under the Capitol dome, in the same spot where throngs of rioters marauded last month. Mr. Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi made no mention of former President Donald J. Trump’s imminent impeachment trial, where he faces a charge of “incitement of insurrection” for the assault that killed Officer Sicknick. Instead, they vowed not to forget the fallen officer. “We must be vigilant as what President Lincoln referred to as the harsh artillery of time. We will never forget,” Ms. Pelosi said during the ceremony, standing before Mr. Sicknick’s remains and an American flag, placed upon a stand crafted for the ceremonies. “Each day when members enter the Capitol, this temple of democracy, we will remember his sacrifice and then others that day who fought so hard to protect the Capitol and the Congress.
