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Third police officer who responded to Capitol riots has died

Capitol riots
Posted at 2:33 PM, Aug 02, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-02 16:39:01-04

According to several media outlets, a third officer who responded to the U.S. Capitol riots on January 6 has died.

In a statement to CNN and Vice, the DC Metropolitan Police Department confirmed Officer Gunther Hashida's death.

In the statement, the department said Hashida was "assigned to the Emergency Response Team within the Special Operations Division" and "was found deceased in his residence on Thursday, July 29.”

According to the news outlets, Hashida died from an apparent suicide.

CNBC also reported that the officer took his own life.

The department said they were "grieving" and that their "thoughts and prayers" were with Officer Hashida’s family and friends, CNBC reported.

In the statement, the agency said Hashida, who had served with the department since 2003, had responded to the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, CNN reported.

Hashida's passing marks the third officer for having died from an apparent suicide since the attack at the Capitol.

Both of those officers, U.S. Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood and Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, had been with their departments for more than a decade.