UPDATE (AP 4:30 PM) — The connection of Officer Howard Liebengood’s death to the riots was unclear, and people familiar with the matter say the officer’s death was an apparent suicide.
(NEXSTAR) – U.S. Capitol Police officer Howard Liebengood died Saturday while off-duty of unknown causes, the department announced Sunday. He was 51.
Liebengood was assigned to the Senate Division and had been with the department since 2005.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends, and colleagues,” the press release said.
On Twitter Sunday, CBS News Chief Congressional Correspondent Nancy Cordes said Former Capitol Police Chief Terrance Gainer told the news organization that Liebengood’s death was a “line of duty casualty.”
The office of the U.S. Capitol Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Gainer’s reported statement.
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