A fourth officer who defended the Capitol building during the January 6 riot has been confirmed dead by suicide just hours after a fellow officer's tragic death.
Gunther Hashida, 43, was found dead at his home on Thursday, July 29, according to a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan [DC] Police Department, CNBC reports.
Listen to a news report about Hashida's death below:Hours later, the department confirmed that another officer from the same department, Kyle deFreytag, 26, died by suicide and was discovered on July 10.
The officer had been a member of the department since November 2016, and Hashida had been a member since 2003, who was recently assigned to the Special Operations Division's emergency response team.
A GoFundMe was subsequently set up to help Hashida's family, and at the time of writing, it has raised more than $85K from over 1.9K supporters.
The GoFundMe page, created with a $250,000 donation target, said that Hashida "leaves behind a loving wife, sister, 3 children, and a wonderful family."
According to an online obituary for dFreytag, he "liked hiking, camping, riding his motorcycle, he liked traveling and playing the drums, he enjoyed trying different ethnic foods and always knew the best places to eat."
"Kyle was kind, he had a quick wit and a great sense of humor & kept us laughing for 26 years," the obituary said.
The deaths of Hashida and deFreytag mean that four officers have now taken their lives since the January 6 assault on the Capitol, Reuters reports.
The other two officers who died by suicide, Jeffrey Smith of the MPD and Howard Liebengood of the Capitol Police, had both been members of their departments for over a decade, according to CNBC.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a statement after Hashida's death: "On behalf of the House of Representatives, I send deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of Metropolitan Police Department Officer Gunther Hashida."
"Officer Hashida was a hero, who risked his life to save our Capitol, the Congressional community and our very Democracy," added Pelosi.
"All Americans are indebted to him for his great valor and patriotism on January 6th and throughout his selfless service.
"May Officer Hashida's life be an inspiration to all to protect our Country and Democracy. And may it be a comfort to Officer Hashida’s family that so many mourn their loss and pray for them at this sad time."
