Two more suicides by Capitol riot policemen

Two Washington DC police officers died by suicide in the months after defending the US Capitol during the Jan 6 riot by supporters of then-President Donald Trump, bringing the toll of suicide by officers to four.

A spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) said Monday that 43-year-old Gunther Hashida was found dead at his home on July 29. Hashida, joined the MPD in May 2003 and most recently was assigned to the emergency response team within the Special Operations Division. He was dispatched to the Capitol on Jan 6.

Hours later, the MPD confirmed that another officer from the same department, Kyle DeFreytag, 26, died by suicide, and was found July 10. He had been with the department since November 2016.

Previously, two police officers who responded to the riot committed suicide days after the incident. Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood, a 15-year veteran, killed himself three days after responding to the riot.

A few weeks later, 12-year MPD veteran Jeffrey Smith took his own life.

Another Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, was sprayed with a chemical substance during the attack, prosecutors say, and suffered a stroke. He died the day after the riot of natural causes, according to the medical examiner's office in Washington, DC.

More than 140 officers were injured, and more than 500 people have been charged in the riot.

A crowdfunding page set up Sunday to pay for a memorial service for Hashida and to support his family as of Monday night had raised more than $68,000 from more than 1,500 donors.

The GoFundMe page, which has a $250,000 donation target, said Hashida "leaves behind a loving wife, sister, 3 children, and a wonderful family''.

An online obit for DeFreytag said he "liked hiking, camping, riding his motorcycle, he liked traveling and playing the drums, he enjoyed trying different ethnic foods and always knew the best places to eat".

"Kyle was kind, he had a quick wit and a great sense of humor & kept us laughing for 26 years," the obituary said.