Capitol Riot

DC Police Officer Who Died by Suicide After Jan. 6 Riot Declared Line-of-Duty Death

Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith died on Jan. 15, 2021

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

The death of a D.C. police officer who died by suicide just days after he was assaulted during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has been ruled a line-of-duty death, a finding that makes his widow eligible for enhanced survivor benefits.

“Based on evidence submitted by the petitioner and the Department, we find that Officer Smith sustained a personal injury on January 6, 2021, while performing his duties and that his injury was the sole and direct cause of his death,” the Police and Firefighters’ Retirement and Relief Board wrote in a letter obtained by NBC News on Wednesday.

Metropolitan Police Officer Jeffrey Smith died on Jan. 15, 2021.

For more on this story, go to NBC News.

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