The day after U.S. Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was assaulted with bear spray as he confronted thousands of MAGA insurrections, he suffered two strokes and died of natural causes, according to the D.C. Medical Examiner’s Office. The shocking cause of death comes after two Jan. 6 rioters—Julian Elie Khater and George Pierre Tanios—are accused of assaulting Sicknick and two other officers during the riots by spraying them with the powerful chemical irritant. Sicknick collapsed hours after he defended the Capitol, and died a day later. In an interview with The Washington Post, Francisco J. Diaz, the chief medical examiner, said an autopsy found no evidence that Sicknick suffered an allergic reaction to the bear spray or that he suffered any internal or external injuries. Diaz, however, did note that Sicknick’s actions defending the Capitol “played a role in his condition,” but said the officer died after suffering two strokes at the base of his brain stem caused by a clot in an artery.
