US Capitol riots death toll reaches 4 after two more police officers commit suicide

Two more Washington DC police officers died by suicide in the months after defending the United States Capitol during the January 6 riot by pro-Donald Trump protesters bringing the total toll of the incident to four. As per the CNBC report, one of the cops who died after the insurrection at the US federal building was a 43-year-old Gunther Hashida who was found dead at his home last Thursday, stated a spokesperson for the Metropolitan DC Police Department. House after Hashida was confirmed dead, the MPD also confirmed that another officer from the same department Kyle deFreytag died by suicide and was found on July 10.

Hashida had reportedly joined the MPD back in May 2003 and most recently, was assigned to the emergency response team within the Special Operations Division. DeFreytag, 26, was in the department since November 2016. The crowdfunding page set up for the memorial service for Hashida and his family as of Monday night raised over $68,000 from more than 1,500 donors. The GoFundMe page has a donation target of $250,000 and said Hashida “leaves behind a loving wife, sister, 3 children, and a wonderful family.”

Meanwhile, an online arbitrary for deFreytag said the 26-year-old “liked hiking, camping, riding his motorcycle, he liked travelling and playing the drums, he enjoyed trying different ethnic foods and always knew the best places to eat.” the obituary added, “Kyle was kind, he had a quick wit and a great sense of humour & kept us laughing for 26 years.” 

Total death toll spikes to five

Till now, at least five police officers have died in connection with the January 6 riot. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick collapsed after responding to the riot and died on January 7 from two strokes. As the chief medical examiner of Washington said that “all that transpired” during the riot played a part in Sicknick’s death. Two other officers who responded to the Capitol riot also died by suicide within a month after the attack in January - Jeffrey Smith of the MPD and Howard Liebengood of the Capitol Police. Both Smith and Liebengood had been with their departments for over a decade.

IMAGE: AP