By Aaron Miller-
A police officer who defended the US Capitol during the 6 January insurrection by extremist supporters of Donald Trump has committed suicide, Washington DC’s Metropolitan police department confirmed on Monday.
Officer Gunther Hashida, who was assigned to the emergency response team within the special operations department, was found dead at home on 29 July, the department said.
DC Metropolitan Police office Michael Fanone said he received a death threat after his Tuesday testimony.
Hashida was on duty at the Capitol when thousands of protesters stormed the building, breaking in through doors and broken windows.
The riot began after then-President Donald Trump urged supporters to march to oppose a joint session of Congress confirming the election of President Joe Biden.
The mob assaulted dozens of officers, beating them with pipes and even the cops’ own shields while also using Tasers and pepper spray.
The assault came as Congress prepared to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden defeated former President Trump, who contests the outcome.
Hashida is survived by his wife, Romelia, and three children, his sister and other members of a “wonderful family”, according to an online fundraising campaign established in his memory.
The death of Hashida is the third known instance of a suicide by law enforcement officers related to the 6 January insurrection, when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol in a violent attempt to stop the certification of Biden’s election win.
The attempt failed and Biden’s victory over Trump from the 2020 election was certified by Congress in the early hours of the following morning.
The justice department’s decision marks a sharp departure from the Trump era, when the department repeatedly intervened on behalf of top White House officials.
The attack on the Capitol, which lasted several hours, involved rioters attacking outnumbered officers to break into the building in a failed effort to hunt down lawmakers, including then-vice president Mike Pence. The rioters were also looking for Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. They were heard shouting ”Nancy Pelosi where are you”
Officer Jeffrey Smith, a 12-year veteran of the force, and Officer Howard Liebengood, a 16-year Capitol police veteran, also responded to the 6 January . later committing suicide too.