Congressional leadership on Wednesday formally paid tribute to Officer Brian D. Sicknick in the Capitol Rotunda.
In remarks delivered in a ceremony honoring Sicknick's service, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called Sicknick a "peacekeeper," and offered condolences to the officer's family.
"He was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time on a day when peace was shattered," Schumer said. "Blessed are the peacekeepers like Brian"
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Sicknick a "patriot," noting his service in the Air Force before joining the Capitol police in 2008. She added that her and lawmakers would always remember Sicknick's service whenever they walked through the doors of "this temple of democracy."
The ceremony will featured an invocation by House Chaplain Margaret Kibben, a benediction by the Senate Chaplin Barry Black and a performance of "America the Beautiful" by the "Singing Sergants" of the Air Force choir.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was not at Wednesday's memorial, but he paid tribute to Sicknick during a speech on the Senate floor.
"In the face of lawlessness, Brian Sicknick paid the ultimate price to uphold a solemn oath," McConnell said. "He gave our nation the last full measure of devotion.:
Sicknick's remains were carried to the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Tuesday evening, where he continues to lie in state. He is the fifth non-government leader to lay in honor in the Rotunda.
President Joe Biden visited the Capitol on Tuesday evening to pay his respects.
Sicknick was injured in the line of duty during the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol building. He died a day later. Four other peopled died as a direct result of the riots, and two officers who were also on duty on Jan. 6 have since died by suicide.
In the weeks after the riot, the chief for the U.S. Capitol Police, the House sergeant at arms and the Senate sergeant at arms have all resigned. Law enforcement has also erected non-scalable fencing in the blocks surrounding the Capitol.
On Jan. 13, the House of Representatives impeached then-President Donald Trump, accusing him of inciting the riots at the Capitol. Trump's impeachment trial is set to begin the week of Feb. 8.
National Guardsmen are expected to maintain a presence at the Capitol until the conclusion of the impeachment trial.
