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Turns Out Officer Sicknick Died of Natural Causes (1 Viewer)

ekbeats

Footballguy
The NY Times ran the story initially that he was bludgeoned to death with a fire extinguisher.  CNN and MSNBC repeated the claim on air several times in the days that followed.  Turns out the official cause death, released today after 14 weeks, was that he died of natural causes.  So what have we learned from all of this?  Any concern about the media’s role here in advancing a false narrative?  Any concern that CNN and MSNBC repeated the NY Times’ false story without having any corroborating evidence of their own?  Is it any wonder that trust in the media is at an all-time low?

Per the Washington Post today:

Capitol Police officer Brian D. Sicknick suffered two strokes and died of natural causes a day after he confronted rioters at the Jan. 6 insurrection, the District’s chief medical examiner has ruled.

The ruling, released Monday, will make it difficult for prosecutors to pursue homicide charges in the officer’s death. Two men are accused of assaulting Sicknick by spraying a powerful chemical irritant at him during the siege, but prosecutors have not tied that exposure to Sicknick’s death.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Francisco J. Diaz, the medical examiner, said the autopsy found no evidence the 42-year-old officer suffered an allergic reaction to chemical irritants, which Diaz said would have caused Sicknick’s throat to quickly seize. Diaz also said there was no evidence of internal or external injuries.

Diaz said Sicknick suffered 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. Diaz said he could not comment on whether Sicknick had a preexisting medical condition, citing privacy laws.

In the days after the riot, police and a Justice Department official attributed Sicknick’s death to his efforts to contain the riot.

Democratic House managers arguing for then-President Donald Trump’s impeachment said Sicknick was killed by rioters, citing a New York Times story that said police initially believed Sicknick had been struck with a fire extinguisher. The Times later updated the story saying there was no evidence of blunt-force trauma.

But exactly what caused Sicknick’s death has remained unclear for more than 14 weeks.

Efforts to reach Sicknick’s family on Monday were not successful, and Capitol Police said in a statement that the family had asked for privacy.

Diaz’s ruling does not mean Sicknick was not assaulted or that the violent events at the Capitol did not contribute to his death. The medical examiner noted Sicknick was among the officers who engaged the mob and said “all that transpired played a role in his condition.”

The Capitol Police said in its statement that the ruling “does not change the fact Officer Brian Sicknick died in the line of duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol.” The agency said it will “never forget Officer Sicknick’s bravery, nor the bravery of any officer on January 6, who risked their lives to defend our democracy.”

Christopher Macchiaroli, a former federal prosecutor who handled violent crime cases before grand juries in D.C. Superior Court and U.S. District Court, said a ruling of a death by natural causes “does make it more difficult to bring a homicide prosecution.”

Macchiaroli said additional evidence of some conduct by rioters could emerge independently, which prosecutors could argue contributed to the strokes. But he said that “any defense attorney . . . would use the medical examiner’s conclusions as clear-cut evidence of reasonable doubt.”

In explaining the decision, the medical examiner’s office provided an updated timeline leading up to Sicknick’s death. A statement says Sicknick collapsed 7 hours and 40 minutes after he was sprayed, and then died nearly 24 hours after that.

Sicknick was among hundreds of officers who confronted the violent mob that took over the Capitol, seeking to overturn the election Donald Trump had lost. Nearly 140 officers were assaulted, authorities said, facing some rioters armed with ax handles, bats, metal batons, wooden poles, hockey sticks and other weapons.

In early February, Sicknick, who grew up in South River, N.J., was honored at the U.S. Capitol. His remains were interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

His death is being investigated by D.C. police, who handle all deaths in the District; the Capitol Police; and the FBI.

In a Jan. 8 statement, then-acting U.S. attorney general Jeffrey A. Rosen said Sicknick died of “the injuries he suffered defending the U.S. Capitol.” He promised that local and federal authorities would “spare no resources in investigating and holding accountable those responsible.”

The Capitol Police said in a statement soon after the riot that Sicknick “was injured while physically engaging with protesters.”

Christopher Geldart, the District’s acting deputy mayor for public safety, said Monday that the medical examiner’s office “took the appropriate amount of time to evaluate all the evidence” in Sicknick’s death, which he said including reviewing videos, statements from officers and the results of toxicology screens.

Geldart said Diaz “felt he was able to make this call in good conscience.”

In March, two men — Julian Elie Khater, 32, of Pennsylvania, and George Pierre Tanios, 39, of West Virginia — were accused of assaulting Sicknick with chemical spray during the riot.

At the time of the arrests, the autopsy had not been completed. Tanios’s attorney, Beth Gross with the federal public defender service, declined to comment on the ruling. Attorneys for Khater on Monday did not respond to inquiries.

Arrest papers allege that Khater and Tanios were at the Lower West Terrace of the Capitol at 2:14 p.m. on Jan. 6, where Sicknick and other officers were standing behind metal bicycle racks.

“Give me that bear s---,” Khater said to Tanios on a recorded video, according to court documents.

About nine minutes later, those documents say, after Khater said he had been sprayed with something, Khater is seen on video discharging a canister of a toxic substance into the face of Sicknick and two other officers.

In a statement after Sicknick died, his family said, “Brian is a hero and that is what we would like people to remember.” The family said at that time that the “direct causes” of his injuries were unknown.

Sicknick grew up in a New Jersey borough south of New Brunswick, the youngest of three brothers. He is survived his siblings, Ken and Craig, his parents Charles and Gladys Sicknick, and his companion of 11 years, Sandra Garza.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), paid tribute to Sicknick on the Senate floor on Jan. 19, saying the officer understood “that wearing that uniform, wearing that badge, that you had a sacred duty to protect this sacred space.”

The senator described Sicknick’s death as a “crime” that “demands the full attention of federal law enforcement.” He said that “when white supremacists attacked our nation’s capital, they took the life of one of our officers. They spilled his blood, they took our son away from his parents. They took a sibling away from their brothers.”

Sicknick joined the New Jersey Air National Guard in 1997 and had been assigned to the 108th Air Refueling Wing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey. The Guard said he deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1999 and to Kyrgyzstan in 2003.

Although Sicknick supported Trump, those who encountered him said his political views did not align neatly with one political party. Messages he sent to his congressman, Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), were “polite and measured,” according to a spokesman for the lawmaker. Sicknick opposed impeachment for Trump and favored gun control. He was concerned about animal cruelty and the national debt.

During the ceremony in February honoring Sicknick at the Capitol, fellow officers, lawmakers, and President Biden and first lady Jill Biden paid their respects. In February, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) described Sicknick as a “peacekeeper, not only in duty but in spirit.”

 
It is sad that he died and certainly the events and associated trauma of that day contributed to some degree.  But why wait 14 weeks?  Did they really just want to keep the narrative up?  Do talking points mean that much to the left?   The armed deadly insurection we heard endlessly about including special prime-time coverage....was unarmed, was not deadly and was not even an insurrection.  

 
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The medical examiner, Francisco Diaz, didn't note any evidence that Sicknick had an allergic reaction to chemical spray or list any internal or external injuries, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the ruling. Still, Diaz told the newspaper that "all that transpired" on January 6 "played a role in his condition."

Capitol Police said in a statement Monday that the department "accepts the findings from the Office of the Medical Examiner, but this does not change the fact Officer Brian Sicknick died in the Line of Duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol."

RIP Officer Sicknick.

 
It is sad that he died and certainly the events and associated trauma of that day contributed to some degree.  But why wait 14 weeks?  Did they really just want to keep the narrative up?  Do talking points mean that much to the left?   The armed deadly insurection we heard endlessly about including special prime-time coverage....was unarmed, was not deadly and was not even an insurrection.  
The theory on cause was likely hard to determine one way or the other. They had to do toxicology on bear spray which possibly no one has done before. Neither outcome is a victory for anyone, it is just information to use to determine the charges/sentencing of the criminals that brazenly attacked officers in broad daylight with cameras rolling.

 
And, it's not as if the "media" made up some fabricated tale. There's a video that was the whole basis of the story. For example, the NY Post was reporting the same thing.
And the media will continue to report that officer Sicknick died from injuries sustained during the Jan 6th insurrection, with or without evidence of such.  The fire extinguisher was just part of the lie. 

 
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And the media will continue to report that officer Sicknick died from injuries sustained during the Jan 6th insurrection, with or without evidence of such.  The fire extinguisher was just part of the lie. 
Was it really a "lie"?  Or just bad information given by Capitol Police?  Do you think that media outlets ran with a story they knew to be false?

 
The medical examiner, Francisco Diaz, didn't note any evidence that Sicknick had an allergic reaction to chemical spray or list any internal or external injuries, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the ruling. Still, Diaz told the newspaper that "all that transpired" on January 6 "played a role in his condition."

Capitol Police said in a statement Monday that the department "accepts the findings from the Office of the Medical Examiner, but this does not change the fact Officer Brian Sicknick died in the Line of Duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol."

RIP Officer Sicknick.
But he didn’t “die in the line of duty.”  That is factually incorrect, and exactly the point of the thread.

 
The medical examiner, Francisco Diaz, didn't note any evidence that Sicknick had an allergic reaction to chemical spray or list any internal or external injuries, according to The Washington Post, which first reported the ruling. Still, Diaz told the newspaper that "all that transpired" on January 6 "played a role in his condition."

Capitol Police said in a statement Monday that the department "accepts the findings from the Office of the Medical Examiner, but this does not change the fact Officer Brian Sicknick died in the Line of Duty, courageously defending Congress and the Capitol."

RIP Officer Sicknick.
Yes...extremely sad that the man died.  And that people will continue to use his death to peddle different narratives all over the place.

 
Was it really a "lie"?  Or just bad information given by Capitol Police?  Do you think that media outlets ran with a story they knew to be false?
The media, whether it be the right wing media or the left wing media, has no problem lying if they want to continue to drive home the narrative they want.  To wit: 

https://larrybrownsports.com/basketball/espn-lies-important-detail-jacob-blake-case-adrian-wojnarowski/577463

Of course, defenders of the media will argue that it was simply a mistake, one they later fixed, but I think it appears obvious that they only fixed it because they got called out on it. Now like the writer of the article has left much doubt as to where he stands on certain things. 

 
Was it really a "lie"?  Or just bad information given by Capitol Police?  Do you think that media outlets ran with a story they knew to be false?
Exactly.

This narrative that you can't trust the media is an exaggerated talking point.

You can't trust ALL media. There are plenty of "media" that simply aren't factual. There's media that is pretty factual but with a certain lean or bias. And there's media that are very reputable and reliable with little or no bias. It's just a matter of knowing where to get your media reporting and understanding what's behind it.

The media was supposed to report what happened that day. They included the video. That it took 14 weeks for the true cause of his death to come out shows that there was more to it. Should nothing have been reported about that day or his death until now?

But, without the media, we don't know about ANY of this stuff.

Well, now in the age of social media with Twitter and the ability for anyone to have a platform, that's no longer true. But, that's why the media serves just as important a role now as ever.  

Learn where to get your information from and get an understanding of the limitations of it.

 
But he didn’t “die in the line of duty.”  That is factually incorrect, and exactly the point of the thread.
But you are bashing the media...that line about dying in the line of duty came from Capitol Police.  Just as the original story about being hit from a fire extinguisher came from "law enforcement".

There isn't a media outlet out there that is not going to report the death of an officer after that day or injuries to officers that day when given information from trusted sources in law enforcement.

 
Was it really a "lie"?  Or just bad information given by Capitol Police?  Do you think that media outlets ran with a story they knew to be false?
Jesus Christ, of course they did. They couldnt have the only deaths of the INSURRECTION be Trump,supporters.  They were dying of thrust for this. It was so obvious the dumb Trump supporters in the PSF even tried fo tell you so. 

 
Exactly.

This narrative that you can't trust the media is an exaggerated talking point.

You can't trust ALL media. There are plenty of "media" that simply aren't factual. There's media that is pretty factual but with a certain lean or bias. And there's media that are very reputable and reliable with little or no bias. It's just a matter of knowing where to get your media reporting and understanding what's behind it.

The media was supposed to report what happened that day. They included the video. That it took 14 weeks for the true cause of his death to come out shows that there was more to it. Should nothing have been reported about that day or his death until now?

But, without the media, we don't know about ANY of this stuff.

Well, now in the age of social media with Twitter and the ability for anyone to have a platform, that's no longer true. But, that's why the media serves just as important a role now as ever.  

Learn where to get your information from and get an understanding of the limitations of it.
Shouldn’t NYT and CNN be trusted?  They claim by many to be industry leaders.

 
Was it really a "lie"?  Or just bad information given by Capitol Police?  Do you think that media outlets ran with a story they knew to be false?
Not sure it was a lie, but definite factually incorrect.  The officer hit with the flying fire extinguisher wasn’t Officer Sicknick.  The night of Jan. 6 Sicknick texted his brother saying he was only pepper sprayed.  And the next day when he was in critical condition in the hospital the family was told he had a blood clot and had a stroke.  Those were the facts, and were readily available to the media.  Most of them went with The NY Times narrative which was never vetted enough.

 
Wait, is the story that it was just coincidental that he had a stroke and died that day?

Or is there reason to believe the events of January 6 were a contributing factor to his getting a stroke and dying?

If it’s the latter, I think “in the line of duty” seems accurate.

 
This shouldn't be that hard. If an individual spread the "info" that he was beaten to death or died because of the riot, you spread misinformation. Just admit to being duped again by misinformation from the media. Let's see if people can do that!

 
Wait, is the story that it was just coincidental that he had a stroke and died that day?

Or is there reason to believe the events of January 6 were a contributing factor to his getting a stroke and dying?

If it’s the latter, I think “in the line of duty” seems accurate.
The medial examiner that Amused to Death cited seems to say the events played a role in his condition.  I would agree that saying "in the of duty" is appropriate.

We are now left arguing about publications trusting multiple law enforcement sources early on in reporting he was hit with a fire extinguisher.

 
This shouldn't be that hard. If an individual spread the "info" that he was beaten to death or died because of the riot, you spread misinformation. Just admit to being duped again by misinformation from the media. Let's see if people can do that!
It appears it was misinformation from their law enforcement sources.  There is no media publication out there (right or left) that is not going to report when they have multiple sources inside law enforcement telling them something.  

Can you admit that?

I can admit they trusted the wrong sources...which got the information wrong.  I can admit they pushed that story much longer than they should have.

 
Was it a lie when Trump said the election was stolen?  Just because he lacked proof....
Exactly.   Trump thinks it was stolen and the people who could prove it stone walled him.    

Right or wrong.  Thats what he believed.   

But timsochets method is better for calling everyone liars.   So lets stick with that.

 
Wait, is the story that it was just coincidental that he had a stroke and died that day?

Or is there reason to believe the events of January 6 were a contributing factor to his getting a stroke and dying?

If it’s the latter, I think “in the line of duty” seems accurate.
Well I guess you could say then that any cop who dies of a stroke after work "died in the line of duty".  Once again. the Medical Examiner has concluded that he died of natural causes and that there is no evidence that it was due to an adverse reaction to the bear spray.  Facts are stubborn things.

 
Meh.  Often times, stories are screamed to the heavens as being factual when in fact, hindsight, further analysis or more in depth investigation proves them to not be true.  It happens.  

 
Meh.  Often times, stories are screamed to the heavens as being factual when in fact, hindsight, further analysis or more in depth investigation proves them to not be true.  It happens.  
It was pretty much the most consistant political reporting the last 4 years.

 
Exactly.   Trump thinks it was stolen and the people who could prove it stone walled him.    

Right or wrong.  Thats what he believed.   

But timsochets method is better for calling everyone liars.   So lets stick with that.
The endless double-standards is tiresome.  Misleading leftwing narratives which stir up hate is OK because their heart is on the right place.  But when it comes from the right, it is the root of all evil.  

 
If the officer died at least partly as a result of what he was doing in his job, I think that’s probably accurate.

If the officer dies in an unrelated car accident or something, then no.
Eventhough it comes from an official expert source, it is still pure speculation and should be caveated as such when reported and not stated as fact. 

 
Doesnt everybody die because of all that transpired? 

I mean after all that has led us here, a parsed quote should have a lot of skepticism with it. 

 
I think the media have collectively disgraced themselves over the past five or so years, but this one seems like an extremely understandable error.  The guy was assaulted by rioters and died.  It wasn't unreasonable to assume a causal relationship there.  This isn't like ruining some kid's life because you didn't like the way he smiled at some idiot banging a drum in his face.

 
I think the media have collectively disgraced themselves over the past five or so years, but this one seems like an extremely understandable error.  The guy was assaulted by rioters and died.  It wasn't unreasonable to assume a causal relationship there.  This isn't like ruining some kid's life because you didn't like the way he smiled at some idiot banging a drum in his face.
Tell that to the protesters who were investigated for his murder.

 
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This death is one of the justifications listed by the Dems in their impeachment documents, yet it's a total fabrication.  That's how far we've fallen.  We're impeaching Presidents no longer in office based upon lies.  Disgusting.

 
I think the media have collectively disgraced themselves over the past five or so years, but this one seems like an extremely understandable error.  The guy was assaulted by rioters and died.  It wasn't unreasonable to assume a causal relationship there.  This isn't like ruining some kid's life because you didn't like the way he smiled at some idiot banging a drum in his face.
Correct, it’s been an embarrassment for 5 + years.   Team Blue will always win the media game.

 
I think the media have collectively disgraced themselves over the past five or so years, but this one seems like an extremely understandable error.  The guy was assaulted by rioters and died.  It wasn't unreasonable to assume a causal relationship there.  This isn't like ruining some kid's life because you didn't like the way he smiled at some idiot banging a drum in his face.
The media said he was pulverized by a fire extinguisher, yet not one scratch was found on the man.  Come on.

 
This death is one of the justifications listed by the Dems in their impeachment documents, yet it's a total fabrication.  That's how far we've fallen.  We're impeaching Presidents no longer in office based upon lies.  Disgusting.
My bad - not charged but investigated.

 

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