The US Capitol Police (USCP) has confirmed that an officer who was wounded during the violent protests that rocked Washington D.C., has succumbed to his injuries.
Brian D. Sicknick who joined the force in 2008 "was responding to the riots on Wednesday at the US Capitol and was injured while physically engaging with protesters", the USCP as saying in a statement issued on Thursday night.
"He returned to his division office and collapsed," the statement added.
Sicknick's death will be investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department's Homicide Branch, USCP and "our federal partners", it added.
Earlier on Thursday, US media reports had said that a USCP officer died from Wednesday's violent riots at the Capitol building, taking the total death toll of the violence to five.
However, the USCP then denied the reports, noting that "although some officers were injured and hospitalised yesterday, no USCP officers have passed away".
Four protesters, including a woman after they were shot by police. Three other deaths were reported on the Capitol grounds, but the circumstances remained unclear. While 52 people have been arrested.
Protesters in support of President Donald Trump's futile efforts to reject the 2020 presidential election results breached the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon when Congress met to affirm President-elect Joe Biden's Electoral College victory.
Chaos and violence forced an hours-long lockdown on the Capitol grounds.
In a video message, President Donald Trump condemned the violent supporters who stormed the US Capitol, saying they do not represent America, adding that the US is and must always remain a country of law and order.
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“Like all Americans, I am outraged by the violence, lawlessness and mayhem. I immediately deployed the national guard and federal law enforcement to secure the building and expel the intruders,” Donald Trump said in the video.
Accepting the election result, Trump has vouched for a "smooth transition" of power to Biden.