Medical Examiner Reports Officer Brian Sicknick Died of Natural Causes

Washington, D.C.'s chief medical examiner officially ruled that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick's death was due to natural causes. Sicknick, an officer on duty during the Jan. 6 Capitol breach, had two strokes and died the following day. Two men are accused of assaulting and pepper spraying Sicknick during the Capitol breach, but prosecutors have not connected that assault with Sicknick's death. The medical examiner, Francisco J. Diaz, told the Washington Post the autopsy found no evidence Sicknick suffered an allergic reaction to chemical irritants, and there was no evidence of internal or external injuries. Confusion and speculation spread after Sicknick's death when the New York Times reported that Sicknick had also been beaten with a fire extinguisher on Jan. 6; the Times' article has since been updated. Some left-rated articles tended to highlight the fact that the two men who allegedly assaulted Sicknick will not likely be charged with murder. Some claim that left-rated media quickly ran with the fire extinguisher story as a cause of Sicknick's death because he was the only one they could claim he was killed by pro-Trump protesters.