On January 6, 2021, while responding to riots in the U.S. Capitol, officer Brian Sicknick was “sprayed with a chemical substance” and passed away just hours later. According to Matt Kaiser, the executor of the estate of the late officer, Sandra Garza on Thursday filed a civil lawsuit against Donald Trump and two rioters, Julian Khater and George Tanios.
According to Kaiser’s press release released via Twitter, Trump, Khater, and Tanios are being sued for wrongful death, civil rights conspiracy, assault, and other unidentified allegations. He said the complaint was sent in the day before the second anniversary of the riots on January 6. Kaiser says that Officer Sicknick died while defending the US Capitol, who said the lawsuit seeks to “hold accountable those who caused his death.”
Donald Trump, Two Others Sued by Late Officer Brian Sicknick’s Fiancee, After His Death Due To January 6, 2021 Riots
In a statement included in the release, Kaiser stated, “Nothing can bring Officer Sicknick back to his fiancée or his family, but this action is a crucial step in the process of bringing those who caused his death accountable.” “Khater and Tanios”, he claimed, were summoned to Washington, D.C., to attack the Capitol, and they responded. The lawyer said that Garza represents Officer Sicknick’s estate and will donate any money obtained from the lawsuit to charity, adding that “this directly caused Officer Sicknick’s death.” According to CBS News Congressional Correspondent Scott MacFarlane, Garza is suing for $10 million.
Per court documents obtained by CNN, “Defendant Trump watched the events unfold on live television from the safety of the White House as Officer Sicknick and hundreds of others — including other police officers, elected officials, and rank-and-file workers at the Capitol — were put in mortal danger, and as the seat of American Democracy was desecrated by the insurgent mob.” The filing added that “The horrific events of January 6, 2021, including Officer Sicknick’s tragic, wrongful death, were a direct and foreseeable consequence of the Defendants’ unlawful actions,” per the outlet.
Before the violent protests, the former president allegedly ordered his supporters to “fight like hell” and “display strength,” according to papers by Kaiser and his legal team, CNN reported. Sicknick was “sprayed with a chemical substance outside the U.S. Capitol” at around 2:20 p.m. during the riots, and he passed out at the Capitol nearly 8 hours later at 10 p.m., when he was taken to a nearby hospital by D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services.
At 9:30 that night at the hospital, Sicknick passed away. Although the claim was made before Sicknick’s autopsy was finished, U.S. Capitol Police stated in their announcement that” Sicknick had been injured while physically engaging with protesters” and had passed away “due to injuries sustained while on duty.” As legislators convened to ratify the electoral college votes for President Joe Biden’s victory in the November election, Donald Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and damaged offices, resulting in the deaths of five people, including Sicknick.
According to a criminal complaint submitted to the United States District Court of D.C., Khater and Tanios were eventually charged with nine charges, including three counts of assaulting officers with a deadly weapon, civil disorder, and disruption of a congressional hearing. They pled guilty last summer, and their sentencing is scheduled for January 27.
