Officer who responded to U.S. Capitol riot becomes 3rd to die by suicide – National | Globalnews.ca

A third police officer who responded to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol died by suicide last week, the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department said on Monday.

Metropolitan Police Officer Gunther Hashida was found dead in his home Thursday, a police spokesperson said in a statement.

Hashida, assigned to the Emergency Response Team within the Special Operations Division, joined MPD in May 2003.

This is the third known suicide of a police officer who responded to the attack on the Capitol by supporters of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

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Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith and U.S. Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood also responded to the Capitol riot and later died by suicide.

More than 500 people so far have been charged with crimes stemming from the Jan. 6 riot, even as Trump allies try to downplay the incident.

(Reporting by Jan Wolfe; Editing by Stephen Coates)