Family Of Deceased Capitol Officer Files Lawsuit Against Attacker

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In the wake of nearly everything he’s ever done – business, reality TV, politics, president – Donald Trump has left in his wake the victims of his successes. Whether he hired them and failed to pay them for their work or he incited a riot that got them beaten and caused brain trauma, Trump’s victims are myriad and many.

Capitol Police Officer Jeffrey Smith,

According to The Washington Post:

‘Smith, 35, shot himself on Jan. 15 while driving his Ford Mustang along with George Washington Memorial Parkway near a scenic overlook on the Potomac River. It was the day after he had been ordered back to work by the Police and Fire Clinic, the first stop for most injured or sick officers seeking treatment.

‘Capitol Police Officer Howard Liebengood, 51, had taken his life three days after the riot. Two other D.C. officers also took their own lives in July. Their families have not spoken publicly.’

Officer Smith was the fourth Capitol Police officer to commit suicide after January 6 and one of many who suffered injuries in the attack. Smith’s family says that he suffered a traumatic brain injury during the attack and that they want the attackers held criminally and financially responsible.

 

‘Weber said he believes Smith was singled out for attack because the face shield on his helmet was up, exposing his face. Weber said one person passed the stick or crowbar to the second person, who has not yet been identified, who struck Smith in the face. He said one of the men who hit Smith was wearing padded motorcycle clothing, which the attorney believes was makeshift protective armor.

‘“You can see Jeff go down,” Weber said, adding the officer disappears in the unruly crowd.’

Although the U.S. Capitol Police refused to hand over body cam footage to Officer Smith’s family, their appeals to understand how and why he suffered such serious injuries led to an internet sleuthing mission. Deep State Dogs, an online group tracking down members of the insurrectionist group who stormed the Capitol and injured police officers, were able to identify Smith’s attackers. Since the insurrection was filmed from every possible angle by both security cameras and the cell phones of those who were involved, a crime for which they’ve posted photos and videos of themselves committing, names and identities were easy to find.

‘Most of that time went toward finding Smith in the crowd, he said, which they did for the first time on Thursday. After that, he said, they quickly identified one of the men with the help of open-sourced facial recognition software and reviews of photos and videos in which “he wore a distinctive jacket.”’