Brian Sicknick, 42, left, sadly died on Thursday after being fatally injured by a blow to the head (Picture: FBI)
The FBI has released photos of a man they want to speak about the death of a police officer killed in last week’s Capitol riots.
Capitol officer Brian Sicknick, 42, tragically lost his life on Thursday after reportedly being hit over the head with a fire extinguisher during a struggle at the Capitol riots last week.
Almost a week after his death, investigators have released a screengrab from a video that shows a rioter throwing a fire extinguisher that hits a Capitol police officer on the head.
The second photo released by the bureau shows an older, bearded man wearing a blue, knitted hat with the letter ‘CFD’ stitched on to it, and they have urged anyone who recognizes him to get in touch as soon as possible.
The FBI wants to hear from anyone who recognizes this man (Picture: FBI)
United States Capitol Police officer, Sicknick was injured whilst responding to violence at the Capitol (Picture: EPA)
The manhunt comes after footage emerged of the moment a rioter appears to throw a fire extinguisher at a crowd of police officers. It is unclear if Sicknick was hit in the video.
In the disturbing video, a Pro-Trump supporter can be seen picking up a fire extinguisher from the floor and launching it at a crowd of Capitol police officers. The incident took place outside the building as hoards of rioters clashed with police.
At this stage it’s unclear if the two people identified in the photos released by the FBI are the same person.
The FBI released this image, taken from a video, of a person throwing a fire extinguisher (Picture: FBI)
Sicknick died as a result of injuries he sustained during the riots – including a blow to the head by a fire extinguisher, according to two law enforcement sources, reports AP.
His family released a heartbroken statement on Monday in tribute to a ‘lovely, humble soul’ who had always wanted to be a police officer and was ‘very passionate’ about his job.
‘There really aren’t enough kind words in any language to describe how sweet Brian was. He was truly a lovely, humble soul. We are missing him terribly’, the statement said.
Prosecutors in the US Attorney’s office plan to open a federal murder investigation into Sicknick’s death, according to CNN.
Items were left to memorialize Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries sustained during the attack at the Capitol in Washington (Picture: Reuters)
So far 20 people have been charged in Washington DC’s federal district court and another 40 have been charged in local courts following the insurrection at the US Capitol, which left five people dead.
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