This week, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) announced the introduction of a Congressional Resolution to honor Officer Brian D. Sicknick, a 12-year veteran of the Capitol Police who passed away as a result of injuries sustained defending the United States Capitol against rioters on Jan. 6^th. Officer Sicknick was the fourth U.S. Capitol Police officer in history to be killed in the line of duty.

“No honor can fully commemorate the valor shown by the Capitol Police and their defense of our democracy against insurrection,” said Phillips. “I mourn for Officer Brian D. Sicknick. He was a patriot. My heart goes out to the family, and to all who risk their lives every day to protect and serve our communities with dignity and principle. They are the best of America at a time we need them most, and they deserve to be recognized as such.”

Find the text of the resolution here. 

Officer Sicknick will lie in honor in the Capitol Rotunda today. Following a small ceremony at the Capitol in the morning, his remains will be escorted to Arlington National Cemetery for burial.

Only four people have previously had the distinction of lying in honor in the Capitol Rotunda, the term reserved for those who were not government or military officials. They include two other members of the U.S. Capitol Police force, Officer Jacob Chestnut and Detective John Gibson, who were shot and killed by a Capitol intruder in 1998; Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks in 2005; and evangelist Rev. Billy Graham in 2018.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, members of known extremist and anti-government groups raided the Capitol in an effort to prevent the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate from fulfilling their Constitutional obligation to count Electoral College votes in affirming the results of the 2020 presidential election. Armed with metal rods, bats, and firearms, rioters marched to the Capitol, forcibly and unlawfully entered, hoisted Confederate battle flags, put national security at risk, and assaulted police officers.

Capitol Police Officers stood tall, and Congress was able to complete its work counting the electoral college votes. The violence ultimately led to the murder of Sicknick and four others, dozens of injuries, and physical damage to U.S. Capitol property.  

Phillips is also an original co-sponsor of H.Con.Res.9, a bipartisan resolution which honors the life and legacy of Officer Sicknick. Finally, Phillips also co-sponsored H.Res.39, a bipartisan resolution introduced by Rep. J. French Hill (R-AL) to honor the bravery and self-sacrifice by U.S. Capitol Police and other Federal, State, and local law enforcement agencies during the January 6^th attack on the U.S. Capitol

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