Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries sustained on Jan. 6 when a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol will lie in honor in the Rotunda next week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a joint statement.
Sicknick was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during the hours long battle with Trump supporters on Jan. 6. He later died at the hospital.
“The U.S. Congress is united in grief, gratitude and solemn appreciation for the service and sacrifice of Officer Brian Sicknick … On behalf of the House of Representatives and the Senate, it is our great privilege to pay tribute to Officer Sicknick with this lying-in-honor ceremony,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a joint statement.
“The heroism of Officer Sicknick and the Capitol Police force during the violent insurrection against our Capitol helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy and ensure that the Congress was not diverted from our duty to the Constitution. His sacrifice reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and to the people we serve,” they added.
A ceremonial arrival will take place Tuesday night, and a viewing period will commence at 10 p.m. for members of the U.S. Capitol Police and continue overnight.
Members of Congress will have an opportunity to attend a viewing period Wednesday morning before his internment at Arlington National Cemetery.
Lying in state is usually reserved for elected officials and military officers since 1852. More recently Congress has allowed some private citizens to lie in honor. Sicknick will become the fifth individual to so according to the Architect of the Capitol. Officer Jacob J. Chestnut, Jr., and Detective John M. Gibson of the Capitol Police were the first two private citizens to lie in honor in 1998 after they were killed in the line of duty.
