Another police officer has committed suicide after responding to the insurrection at the US Capitol on January 6, according to Acting DC Police Chief Robert J. Contee.
Second US Capitol Police Officer Commits Suicide
Amid his Tuesday hearing in front of the House Appropriations Committee, Contee revealed in his testimony that Jeffrey Smith, who had served the Metro Police Department (MPD) for around 12 years, took his own life following the incident.
The death of US Capitol police officer Howard Liebengood, who was a former Senate sergeant-at-arms' son, was earlier reported. MPD Chief Robert Contee did not get into specifics but merely stated Officers Smith and Liebengood were present at the US Capitol on January 6 and took their own lives in the aftermath of the violence.
Officer Smith, 35, killed himself on January 15, according to Contee.
According to Contee, "The costs for this insurrection - both human and monetary - will be steep," reported Huffpost.
The death of Smith as an aftermath of the insurrection had not been disclosed prior to Contee's testimony.
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick, a third member of law enforcement, passed away due to injuries he sustained during the Capitol siege.
Contee stated, "We honor the service and sacrifices of Officers Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood, and Jeffery Smith, and offer condolences to all the grieving families," reported Yahoo News.
Smith was reportedly injured as he attempted to help contain the mob of former President Trump's supporters attempting to stop Congress from certifying President Biden's electoral victory.
Contee remarked, "That was a very sad and tragic situation for us. He had been injured as a result of the confrontation that had occurred at the Capitol and a couple of days after that, the officer, he took his life," reported The Hill.
This is the third law enforcement death and the second suicide by a Capitol police officer in the aftermath of the pro-Trump siege.
Smith was among the 850 MPD officers who responded to the mob of former President Trump's supporters that disrupted Congress' certification of President Joe Biden's victory in the Electoral college votes.
As Congress members voted to confirm Biden's presidential election victory, Sicknick collapsed and then died from his injuries upon being physically assaulted by Trump's supporters as they caused havoc in the building. Liebengood took his own life shortly afterward.
The report of another officer's death shook Capitol Hill, wherein several of the staff and members are still reeling in the three weeks following the insurrection. Five individuals died in the aftermath of the riots. Alongside the two police officers who passed away due to suicide, the death toll has induced fear from lawmakers of both parties and prompted them to demand answers from Capitol security officials.
Smith was assigned to Washington's northwestern neighborhoods of Cleveland Park, Chevy Chase, and Georgetown.
At least 65 MPD officers were injured as in the aftermath of the siege. According to Contee, many more possibly did not report minor injuries. Over 850 officers were assigned to the Capitol complex that afternoon, and another 250 officers were deployed in the place.
