Third officer who responded to US Capitol insurrection dies by suicide

A DC police officer who responded to the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol building has died by suicide, according to the Metropolitan Police Department, the third officer to do so.

MPD spokesperson Kristen Metzger said Monday that Officer Gunther Hashida, an 18-year veteran on the force, was found dead at his residence Thursday.

“We are grieving as a Department and our thoughts and prayers are with Officer Hashida’s family and friends,” Metzger said.

Hashida was assigned to the Emergency Response Team within the Special Operations Division and was dispatched to the Capitol on Jan. 6, according to the statement. He joined the MPD in 2003.

Hashida’s death is the third known suicide of a police officer who fought back against a violent mob of supporters of former President Donald Trump. Officer Howie Liebengood, a 17-year veteran of the U.S. Capitol Police, and D.C. police officer Jeffrey Smith, a 12-year veteran on the force, died by suicide days later.

Researchers say police officers and firefighters are at a higher risk for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicide than any other profession, yet many do not seek treatment. So far, 18 police officers have died by suicide in 2021; 176 died last year.