Family of cop who died after Jan 6. slams Fox News for claiming rioters had nothing to do with his death

• The family of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick criticized Fox News.
• "Organizations like Fox rip our wounds wide open again," they said.
• Host Tucker Carlson sought to undermine claims the Jan. 6 riot helped cause Sicknick's death.

The family of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick has criticized Fox News for using footage of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot to undermine claims that violence played a role in his death.

Sicknick was attacked with pepper spray as he struggled to stop rioters trying to access the Capitol. He died on January 7, 2021, after a series of strokes.

Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Monday started broadcasting footage of the riot that had been given to him by the Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, describing the scenes as "mostly peaceful chaos."

—The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) March 7, 2023

Among Carlson's core arguments was that an attack by rioters on Sicknick could not have played a role in his death as he appears to be walking around in good health in the footage. The claim contradicts the report of the coroner who established that Sicknick died of strokes the day after the riot, and that "all that transpired (on January 6) played a role in his condition."

In a statement, Sicknick's family blasted Fox News, and said the footage showed he was able to valiantly "resume his duties" after being attacked by the mob.

—Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) March 7, 2023

"Every time the pain of that day seems to have ebbed a bit, organizations like Fox rip our wounds wide open again, and we are frankly sick of it," the Sicknick family said.

In January, rioter Julian Khater was jailed after pleading guilty to attacking Sicknick with pepper spray during the riot.

In the wake of the riot, news organizations citing a Capitol Police statement reported that Sicknick died as a result of injuries sustained during the riot. A coroner in April, 2021, found that Sicknick died of natural causes, but said that "all that transpired (on January 6) played a role in his condition."

In the footage played by Carlson, an officer he claims is Sicknick is filmed in the Crypt of the Capitol waving his arms around as rioters enter the Capitol. Carlson said in the footage he appears healthy so it means it's "hard to imagine" he died as a result of injuries sustained during the riot.

It is unclear how Carlson established that the officer depicted in the footage, who is wearing a helmet, is Sicknick, and the video is not timestamped so its unclear how he established it was filmed after Sicknik was attacked.

The footage also showed Jacob Chansley, the rioter known as QAnon shaman, walking around in the Capitol unchallenged by police officers, according to Carlson.

However, court documents reveal that police asked Chansley to leave several times when he was in the Capitol. The police, being outnumbered, feared escalating the situation if they aggressively confronted rioters once they gained access to the complex. Chansley was sentenced to 41 months in prison for his role in the riot in 2021.

Insider has contacted Fox News for comment.

In footage not shown by Carlson Monday, police officers were subjected to brutal attacks by rioters seeking to access the Capitol on January 6 to stop Joe Biden's certification as president. Five officers died after the riot, some by suicide. Three protesters died of medical emergencies during the riot, and one was shot dead by law enforcement.