Gus Papathanasiou, chairman of the Capitol Police Officers' Union, said on Thursday evening he spoke too soon when he announced the death of a Capitol Police officer.
Papathanasiou had said the officer died from a stroke after being on duty Wednesday during the pro-Trump riot on Capitol Hill. When he made the announcement, the union chair said the 40-year-old officer, whose name was not released, was a 15-year veteran of the Capitol Police. He did not share any details on where the officer was stationed during the riot.
About 30 minutes after the announcement was made, WUSA reporter Bruce Leshan tweeted that Papathanasiou "now says the officer has NOT passed away, but is still on life support, until his family can arrive. He and I deeply regret getting ahead of the story."
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On Wednesday, authorities said four people who participated in the riot had died: one woman was shot while climbing into the House Chamber and three others died from medical emergencies. Capitol Police Chief Steven Sund submitted his resignation, effective Jan. 16, on Thursday, following intense criticism over the force's response to the mob. Video shows there were clearly not enough officers on the scene to deal with the crowd, with people pushing past barricades and barreling into the Capitol building.
UPDATE 8:55 PM: The text and headline of this article have been changed to reflect the revised statement of the chairman of the Capitol Police Officers' Union.
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