FBI's Wray Declines to Release Cause of Capitol Officer's Death

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol. (Mandel Ngan-Pool/Getty)

By Theodore Bunker | Tuesday, 02 March 2021 05:07 PM EST

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee declined to reveal the details or cause of Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick’s death, the Washington Examiner reports.

The Capitol Police said in a statement that "Officer Sicknick was responding to the riots on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at the U.S. Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters. He returned to his division office and collapsed. He was taken to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said during the hearing, “We all want to know what happened to Officer Brian Sicknick — a tragic death as a result of that Jan. 6 assault.”

Wray said, “There is an ongoing investigation into his death. I have to be careful at this stage, because it’s ongoing, not to get out in front of it. But I certainly understand and respect and appreciate the keen interest in what happened to him. After all, he was here protecting all of you, and as soon as there is information that we can appropriately share, we want to be able to do that.”

He then said, “We’re not at a point where we can disclose or confirm a cause of death.”

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, asked later, “There obviously is considerable interest and concern in the Senate and across the country as to the circumstances of Officer Sicknick’s death. … Is there any information that the FBI can share with the American people about what we know of the circumstances surrounding his tragic death?”

Wray answered, “At the moment, other than to say that the Capitol Police has, of course, categorized it, I think appropriately, as a line-of-duty death, there’s nothing really I can share right now. Certainly, I understand why it’s very much top of mind of people, and I think it speaks well of the members of Congress that they are so interested in somebody who has lost his life protecting all of you. So as soon as we’re in a position when the investigation has gotten to a stage where we can share information, we want to be able to do that.”