A fourth police officer who responded to the fatal Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol has died by suicide, according to his family.
Kyle DeFreytag, a 26-year-old Metropolitan (D.C.) Police Department officer, died on July 10, according to his mother, who says he responded to the Capitol attack during a later shift. The officer’s death has since been confirmed by D.C. police, according to Fox 5. He was part of the MPD for 5 years.
DeFreytag is now the fourth responding officer to have died by suicide following the events of Jan. 6, when he and others defended the U.S. Capitol against a mob of Trump supporters. The news of his death follows that of Capitol police officer Howard Liebengood—who died by suicide days after the riot—and D.C. police officer Jeffrey Smith, who also died by suicide. Most recently, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan (D.C.) Police Department confirmed that 43-year-old Gunther Hashida was found dead at his home last Thursday. He joined the MPD in May 2003.
Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick collapsed in his office and died on Jan. 7 from two strokes a day after the failed insurrection.
Last week, in front of the House select committee investigating the riot, four officers who responded to the Jan. 6 attack reflected on their experiences in early January, when they faced racist and life-threatening behavior. Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn says he dealt with racial slurs on duty and was exhausted “both physically and emotionally, and in shock and disbelief over what had happened.”
