Officer who responded to Jan. 6 attack is 3rd to die by suicide

(CNN) — A D.C. police officer who responded to the U.S. Capitol insurrection has died by suicide, according to the Metropolitan Police Department.

“Officer Gunther Hashida, assigned to the Emergency Response Team within the Special Operations Division, was found deceased in his residence on Thursday, July 29,” department spokesperson Kristen Metzger said in a statement.

Hashida joined the Metropolitan Police Department in 2003 and responded to the Capitol on Jan. 6, Metzger said.

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

This is the third known suicide of an officer who responded to the Capitol during the attack, and it is the second known suicide by a D.C. officer specifically.

Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith, a 12-year veteran of the force, and U.S. Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood, a 16-year Capitol Police veteran, also responded to the insurrection and later died by suicide.

A recent Senate report into the security failures of the day lists both Smith and Liebengood among those who “ultimately lost their lives” following the attack.