CAUGHT ON CAMERA

New Video Shows Capitol Rioters Firing Bear Spray at Officer Sicknick Before His Death

Newly released videos obtained by The New York Times show how and where the fallen Capitol Police officer was attacked on Jan. 6.

Capitol Police Officer Brian Sicknick was just 42 years old when he died after defending the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Now newly released videos obtained by The New York Times show how and where the fallen officer was attacked that day. The images appear to show that Sicknick was behind police lines and observing the crowd when one alleged rioter, identified by the Times as Julian Elie Khater, can be seen raising a canister and spraying it toward Sicknick. The canister seen on tape looks similar to the packaging for Frontiersman bear spray, an incredibly strong chemical irritant that prosecutors say Khater had in his possession on Jan. 6. In another video from before the attack, Khater can be heard ordering a fellow rioter: “Give me that bear shit.” The last time Sicknick appears in the images shows him washing out his eyes under the scaffolding erected for President Joe Biden’s inauguration. Khater has been charged with assaulting Officer Sicknick, but federal prosecutors haven’t ruled out bringing murder charges against him.