Nation

Brian Sicknick suffered 2 strokes, died of natural causes, says chief medical examiner

Published

2 years ago

April 19, 2021

Washington, D.C.’s chief medical examiner has ruled that Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick sustained two strokes and died of natural causes one day after he engaged against rioters at the January 6 Capitol attack, The Washington Post reported Monday afternoon.

Monday’s ruling will probably make it challenging for prosecutors to file homicide charges in Sicknick’s death. A pair of men are accused of assaulting Sicknick by employing a powerful chemical spray meant for bears at him during the riot and have been charged with assaulting the 42-year-old officer with a deadly weapon, but the two haven’t been charged with homicide.

Francisco Diaz, the medical examiner, told The Post in an interview that the autopsy discovered no evidence Sicknick experienced an allergic reaction to chemical irritants, which Diaz said would have resulted in Sicknick’s throat quickly seizing. No evidence of internal or external injuries was found, the medical examiner also reportedly said.

Diaz, according to The Post, noted that Sicknick, who had been with Capitol Police since 2008, was among the hundreds of officers who confronted the violent mob at the U.S. Capitol and said “all that transpired played a role in his condition.”

After returning to his office during the riot, Sicknick collapsed and then died about eight hours later on January 7.

The medical examiner, according to The Post, said he could not comment on whether Sicknick had a preexisting medical condition, citing privacy laws.

The officer laid in honor under the U.S. Capitol Rotunda in early February. Sicknick was then buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @DouglasPBraff.

Immigration

Nearly 300 suspected terrorists apprehended at U.S. border in 2023 alone

Published

10 hours ago

March 23, 2023

Sara Carter Staff

The border crisis in the United States is not simply about allowing individuals to enter the country illegally; it’s about national security and terrorism. In 2023 alone, roughly 300 suspected terrorists have been apprehended attempting to cross the border, according to newly reported Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) data. That terrifying number is of apprehensions, meaning an unknown number of terrorists may have been successful in evading border patrol.

28 members of Congress have recently formed an entirely new caucus in order to address the increasing crisis at the northern border, “where record numbers of foreign nationals continue to illegally enter from Canada” reports The Center Square.

The Northern Border Security Caucus, formed by Republican Representatives Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, and Ryan Zinke of Montana. The congressmen have expressed substantial concerns about “the increased human and drug trafficking, along with the decrease in Border Patrol agents and lack of security, along the U.S.-Canada border.”

In a letter sent to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, caucus members said the “surges in border encounters and drug smuggling coupled with the shortage of Border Patrol agents and lack of security measures place America’s northern border at serious risk.”

The letter also noted the record numbers of illegal entries along the northern border, including record apprehensions in Vermont and upstate New York. Additionally, reported deaths have been on the rise in northwest Minnesota.

Calling on Mayorkas to secure the border, the caucus warns that Border Patrol staffing at the northern border has remained flat since fiscal 2009, hovering around 2,000 agents tasked with patrolling some of the most difficult terrain. Despite being short-staffed, they recorded a 596% increase in drug seizures in fiscal 2022 from fiscal 2021. Since January 2021, they’re apprehensions have increased by a record 1,498%, the caucus says.