Another police officer committed suicide after Capitol riot: Metropolitan police chief
Another cop who responded to the Capitol siege has committed suicide, the Metropolitan Police Department chief revealed to Congress on Tuesday.
MPD Officer Jeffery Smith took his life “in the aftermath of that battle,” Acting Chief of Police Robert Contee III said during a closed-door session of the House Appropriations Committee.
Smith was a 12-year veteran of the force who died on Jan. 15, the Washington Post reported.
Contee, who was testifying about the Capitol riot, did not go into details about Smith’s death, but offered condolences “to all the grieving families.”
“We honor the service and sacrifices of Officers Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood, and Jeffery Smith,” Contee said.
Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood, 51, committed suicide three days after the deadly insurrection by Trump supporters that killed five people.
Among the dead was Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, who was bludgeoned with a fire extinguisher and pepper-sprayed by the mob as they stormed the building.
Sicknick, a 42-year-old New Jersey native died a day later. No one has been charged in his death.
Contee admitted that the attack — which left 65 MPD officers injured — “has exposed weaknesses in the security of the most secure city in the country.”
“I must think about our preparations not only for possible attacks, but the daily impact of the changing operations of our federal partners. As they harden targets in the federal enclave, other buildings in the city under MPD jurisdiction may become more likely targets,” said Contee.
The FBI has received more than 200,000 digital media tips and has identified a list of at least 400 suspected insurrectionists, the agency said Tuesday. More than 500 grand jury subpoenas and search warrants have been issued, authorities said.
