Two more police officers who responded to the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol have died by suicide, increasing the total number of confirmed suicides by cops who guarded the building that day to four, the District of Columbia’s police department said on Monday.
Officer Gunther Hashida was discovered dead in his home on Thursday, according to department spokesperson Hugh Carew. Hashida joined the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPD) in May 2003.
Kyle DeFreytag, another MPD officer who responded to the Capitol on Jan 6, was found dead on July 10. Suicide was also the cause of death for DeFreytag. He had worked for the police department since November 2016, Carew added.
Officers Jeffrey Smith of the MPD and Howard Liebengood of the US Capitol Police both died by suicide after responding to the Capitol disturbance.
Hundreds of supporters of then-President Donald Trump rushed the Capitol that day, unsuccessfully attempting to prevent Congress from declaring Democratic Vice President Joe Biden’s election victory.
On the day of the riots, four individuals were killed.
The next day, a Capitol Police officer who had been assaulted by protestors died. More than a hundred police officers were hurt.
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Trump’s second impeachment trial resulted from the chaos. For their involvement in the violence, more than 500 individuals have been detained.
Four police officers testified before a House of Representatives special committee last week claimed they were assaulted, intimidated, insulted with racist comments and believed they could die while defending the Capitol against the crowd.
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