According to a senior law enforcement officials, another Washington, DC police officer, who responded to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the capitol, has died by suicide.
During a closing briefing on Tuesday, acting MPD Police Chief Robert Contee told the House Appropriations Committee that Metropolitan Police Department Officer Jeffrey Smith killed himself on an unspecified date following the insurrection.
Smith was a member of the Washington force for over 12-years, he was assigned to the city’s northwestern neighborhoods of Chevy Chase, Cleveland Park, and Georgetown.
His death marks the second in which a law enforcement officer who defended the Capitol later died by suicide. Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood, a 15-year veteran, died by suicide in the days after pro-Trump supporters attempted to overtake the building.
“We honor the service and sacrifices of Officers Brian Sicknick, Howard Liebengood, and Jeffery Smith, and offer condolences to all the grieving families,” Contee said.
According to Contee, at least 65 MPD officers have been injured as a result of the riot, and there are possibly more injuries that weren’t reported. Over 850 officers were sent to the Capitol complex that afternoon, and another 250 officers were deployed in the area.
