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Sicknick is the third Capitol Police officer to receive the tribute.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden paid respects Tuesday night to Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died from injuries suffered during last month’s violent siege on the U.S. Capitol, as he lies in honor at the Capitol Rotunda.
The first couple walked up to the memorial to Sicknick, and the president placed a hand on Sicknick’s urn. The two paused and placed their hands on their heart to pay their respects, before moving to flowers placed in the room in his honor.
A somber ceremonial arrival started shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET Tuesday on the east front of the Capitol, as honor guards carried an urn with the cremated remains of Sicknick and an American flag up the steps.
Inside the Rotunda, Capitol Police officers silently approached Sicknick’s remains, one by one, to salute their fallen colleague.
Around 10:20 p.m., President Biden and the first lady paid their respects, making the sign of the cross.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could also be seen among those in attendance.
Capitol Police members will be able to view overnight, with members of Congress allowed from 7 to 9 a.m. Wednesday. A congressional tribute will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, followed by a ceremonial departure at noon before Sicknick is interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ceremony is not open to the public.
“The U.S. Congress is united in grief, gratitude and solemn appreciation for the service and sacrifice of Officer Brian Sicknick,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement announcing the ceremony details. “The heroism of Officer Sicknick and the Capitol Police force during the violent insurrection against our Capitol helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy and ensure that the Congress was not diverted from our duty to the Constitution. His sacrifice reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and to the people we serve.”
In a statement, the family of Sicknick thanked congressional leaders for “bestowing this historic honor on our fallen American hero.”
“We also wish to express our appreciation to the millions of people who have offered their support and sympathies during this difficult time,” the statement continued. “Knowing our personal tragedy and loss is shared by our nation brings hope for healing.”
Sicknick, 42, is the third Capitol Police officer to lie in honor at the Capitol, joining officer Jacob Chestnut and detective John Gibson, who were both killed in the line of duty in 1998.
Rev. Billy Graham most recently received the rare tribute in 2018, preceded by Rosa Parks in 2005.
Sicknick was one of five people who died as a result of the Jan. 6 siege. Two responding officers — Metropolitan Police Department officer Jeffery Smith and Capitol Police officer Howard Liebengood — also died by suicide afterward, according to acting MPD Chief Robert Contee.
Sicknick died on Jan. 7 at the hospital. Details regarding the direct causes of his injuries were unknown, his family said in a statement at the time. The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., has since opened a federal murder investigation into his death.
All flags at the Capitol were flown at half-staff in his honor on Jan. 8.
Sicknick joined the Capitol Police in 2008. He previously served six years in the New Jersey Air National Guard.
The New Jersey native was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1999 and to Kyrgyzstan in 2003, according to the New Jersey National Guard. He was honorably discharged in 2003.
He leaves behind his parents, two brothers and his girlfriend of 11 years.
ABC News’ Mariam Khan, Molly Nagle and Jack Date contributed to this report.
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