A medical examiner has concluded that Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick suffered a stroke and died of natural causes the day after being injured while confronting rioters at the breach of the U.S. Capitol.
The medical conclusion does not necessarily meant that the stressful, strenuous events of Jan. 6 didn’t contribute to Sicknick’s death. But observers agree the conclusion makes it less likely that federal prosecutors would bring homicide charges.
A West Virginia sandwich shop operator is accused in the assault of Sicknick and two other officers, but the charges have not sought to hold George Tanios of Morgantown accountable for Sicknick’s death.
Tanios is accused of cooperating with Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania to use the extremely strong pepper spray against officers while other rioters at the Capitol tried to push past a bicycle rack barrier.
Medical Examiner Francisco Diaz told The Washington Post that an autopsy of Sicknick found no evidence the officer experienced an allergic reaction to chemical irritants. Diaz said that would have caused Sicknick’s throat to rapidly constrict.
Diaz told the newspaper that Sicknick experienced two strokes at the base of the brain stem caused by a clot in an artery that supplies blood to that area of the body. The medical examiner noted Sicknick was among the officers who engaged the mob and said “all that transpired played a role in his condition.”
.@PHScoop talks with @HoppyKercheval about the cause of death of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick and the impact of charges against George Tanios of Morgantown and Julian Khater of State College PA. WATCH: https://t.co/yCFQ3nDJuy pic.twitter.com/5Kned9WQsB
— MetroNews (@WVMetroNews) April 20, 2021
Tanios was arrested March 15. A federal agent wrote in an affidavit that he observed surveillance footage that showed Tanios and Khater “working together to assault law enforcement officers with an unknown chemical substance by spraying officers directly in the face and eyes.”
The agent said the two men appeared to time their spraying to coincide with other rioters’ efforts to remove bike rack barriers meant to prevent the crowd from moving closer to the Capitol.
Officials have said Sicknick was sprayed with the chemical about 2:20 p.m. Jan. 6. He collapsed at the Capitol that night about 10 p.m. and was taken to a hospital. The officer died at the hospital about 9:30 p.m. the following night, Jan. 7.
In a hearing last month in West Virginia, a U.S. magistrate judge denied bond for Tanios, citing the serious and historic circumstances surrounding the allegations. That decision meant Tanios would remain jailed until trial.
In another hearing last week in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Thomas Hogan said he is still willing to consider bond for Tanios and Khater.
Hogan asked that motions for bond be filed for Tanios and Khater within a week, by April 20. He then asked for response by prosecutors by April 26.
A bond hearing was set for 9:30 a.m. April 27.