Officer who responded to US Capitol attack is third to die by suicide

Trigger warning: the following piece mentions suicide.

A third police officer who responded to the January 6 riot at the US Capitol died by suicide last week, the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department said on Monday, August 3.

Metropolitan Police Officer Gunther Hashida was found dead in his home Thursday, a police spokesperson said in a statement.

Hashida, assigned to the Emergency Response Team within the Special Operations Division, joined MPD in May 2003.

This is the third known suicide of a police officer who responded to the attack on the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith and US Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood also responded to the Capitol riot and later died by suicide.

More than 500 people so far have been charged with crimes stemming from the January 6 riot, even as Trump allies try to downplay the incident. – Rappler.com

The Department of Health, through the National Center for Mental Health, has a national crisis hotline to assist people with mental health concerns. The hotline can be reached at 1553, which is a Luzon-wide, toll-free landline number, 0917-899-8727 and 0966-351-4518 for Globe and TM subscribers, and 0908-639-2672 for Smart and Sun subscribers.

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