A Washington D.C. Metropolitan police officer (MPD) was found dead of an apparent suicide last week inside his home in Virginia.
A pattern emerges: Gunther Hashida, one of the officers who responded to the U.S. Capitol riot on Jan. 6, reportedly took his own life last week on Thursday, the Washington Post reported.
- Kyle DeFreytag, another officer who also responded to the insurrection, died of suicide on July 10, police confirmed Monday.
- While Hashida is now the fourth officer from the Capitol incident responders to die in a similar manner, the authorities have not linked his death to the riot.
- MPD Officer Jeffrey Smith and U.S. Capitol Officer Howard Liebengood, both responders to the violent incident, also killed themselves earlier this year.
- “We are grieving as a department, and our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Hashida’s family and friends,” MPD spokesperson Kristen Metzger told CNN.
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Fallen hero: Hashida, who would have turned 44 on Thursday, became part of the MPD in 2003 and had just been recently assigned to the Emergency Response Team tactical unit.
- In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Hashida a hero “who risked his life to save our Capitol, the Congressional community and our very Democracy. All Americans are indebted to him for his great valor and patriotism on January 6 and throughout his selfless service.”
- A fundraising campaign has been set up on GoFundMe to fund Hashida’s memorial and support his family.
- Hashida’s wife Romelia, mother of their three children, shared a Facebook photo showing Gunther with his arm around her.
Featured Image via Gunther Hashida Memorial & Family Support Fund
