MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2021) Howard Liebengood, a second US Capitol police officer who has died in the wake of the January 6 riot, took his life, The Washington Post reported on Monday, citing law enforcement sources.
On Sunday, President Donald Trump ordered that national flags be lowered at all public buildings in honor of the US Capitol police officers who had died after the Capitol Hill riot. The officers are Brian Sicknick, who succumbed on Thursday to injuries suffered during the riot, and Liebengood, who died of undisclosed causes on Saturday. The Capitol lowered its flags earlier, prompting criticism toward Trump for not following suit.
According to the newspaper, officer Liebengood, 51, responded to the storming of the Capitol building by the pro-Trump mob. The Capitol police union has described the officer as "an example of the selfless service," "the hallmark of USCP."
Liebengood served with the US Capitol Police for 15 years.
Thousands of Trump supporters violently stormed the Capitol on Wednesday in a bid to prevent Congress from certifying the Joe Biden election victory. The protesters attacked police with metal pipes and chemical irritants, damaged property, seized the inauguration stage and occupied the rotunda inside the Capitol building. The attack came after Trump urged his supporters to keep fighting to overturn the election results.
