CNN report finds deceased Capitol Police officer didn't suffer blunt force trauma, wasn't struck by fire extinguisher

There is an important detail regarding the Capitol riots that is buried in the eighth paragraph of a CNN article with the headline: "Investigators struggle to build murder case in death of US Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick."

The article states that U.S. Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died during the storming of the U.S. Capitol building, was not killed by blunt force trauma. This is a contradiction of previous reporting by various media outlets that said the Capitol Police officer was killed by being struck in the head with a fire extinguisher.

From the CNN article:

According to one law enforcement official, medical examiners did not find signs that the officer sustained any blunt force trauma, so investigators believe that early reports that he was fatally struck by a fire extinguisher are not true.

The report notes that Sicknick's cause of death is still not known, adding that the "findings from a medical examiner's review have not yet been released and authorities have not made any announcements about that ongoing process."

Investigators are reportedly looking into the possibility that Sicknick became violently ill after coming in contact with a chemical irritant such as pepper spray or bear spray. Medical examiners are also trying to determine if Sicknick possibly had a preexisting medical condition that negatively affected him during the Capitol riots on Jan. 6.

The report revealed that authorities are "struggling to build a federal murder case" in Sicknick's death because there is a "lack of evidence that could prove someone caused his death."

Law enforcement is said to have "reviewed video and photographs that show Sicknick engaging with rioters amid the siege but have yet to identify a moment in which he suffered his fatal injuries."

This new report is a contradiction from earlier reporting by news outlets that said Sicknick died because he was struck in the head with a fire extinguisher "during a struggle."

The New York Times reported on Jan. 8: "At some point in the chaos — with the mob rampaging through the halls of Congress while lawmakers were forced to hide under their desks — he was struck with a fire extinguisher, according to two law enforcement officials."

On the same day, the Associated Press reported: "Sicknick, 42, was hit in the head with a fire extinguisher during a struggle, two law enforcement officials said, although it was not clear if he was the officer shown in the video."

Slate featured an article with the headline: "Police Officer That Rioters Hit With Fire Extinguisher Dies, Making Capitol Siege a Murder Scene."

The New York Daily News ran a story with the headline: "Hero Capitol Police cop killed by blow to the head with a fire extinguisher during Trump-inspired riot."

There was footage from the Capitol riots showing a man toss a fire extinguisher at a group of Capitol Police officers. It is not known if Sicknick was in that group.

Robert Sanford, the man seen in the video attacking the police with the fire extinguisher, was arrested on Jan. 14 by federal authorities. He was charged with assaulting a police officer, Milton reports.

"Sanford is not suspected in the death of Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick," CBS News reported last month.

On Feb 2, Officer Brian Sicknick was honored in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, only the fifth American to ever lie in honor in the Capitol. The cremated remains of the fallen 12-year Capitol Police veteran were later escorted to Arlington National Cemetery.

Sicknick, 42, was a New Jersey native and former member of the Air National Guard, who was deployed two times overseas.