Fourth police officer who responded to Jan. 6 attack dies by suicide

A fourth law enforcement officer who responded to the Capitol on Jan. 6 has died by suicide, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) confirmed to The Hill on Monday.

A department spokesman said Officer Kyle DeFreytag, who had been with the department since November 2016, was found dead on July 10. Police confirmed DeFreytag, 26, was among a host of MPD officers who were sent to the Capitol in response to the riot.

WUSA9, a CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C., was the first to report that DeFreytag died by suicide last month. 

“I am writing to share tragic news that Officer Kyle DeFreytag of the 5th District was found deceased last evening,” Chief Robert J. Contee III wrote in a message to the department in mid-July, according to WUSA9. “This is incredibly hard news for us all, and for those that knew him best.”

The news comes on the same day that MPD officials confirmed a third police officer death by suicide in the wake of the riot. Earlier on Monday, it was reported that Gunther Hashida was found dead in his home Thursday.

Hashida died two days after the House select committee probing the Jan. 6 attack held its first hearing, during which four police officers from MPD and Capitol Police delivered dramatic testimony about the riot and their experiences defending the Capitol. 

Officers testified that the attack had left a profound toll on the law enforcement officials who responded. 

Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood and MPD Officer Jeffrey Smith both died of suicide in the days following the January incident.