Union: Capitol Police officer on life support after suffering a stroke


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."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Epstein files: Maxwell courts a pardon
Feature A new prison transcript shows Ghislaine Maxwell praising Trump as 'a gentleman' while denying his involvement in the Epstein scandal
-
Pentagon readies military deployment in Chicago
Feature The Pentagon is preparing to deploy thousands of Illinois National Guard members to Chicago after Trump threatened to send troops into other major cities
-
Trump: Taking over the private sector?
Feature Donald Trump has secured a 10% stake in Intel using funds from the Biden-era CHIPS Act
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates