What official determinations (coroner’s reports or DOJ findings) exist for Howard Liebengood’s date and cause of death?
Executive summary
Officer Howard C. Liebengood died on January 9, 2021, and multiple official and family sources reported his death as a suicide [1] [2] [3]. In November 2022 the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program ruled his death a line-of-duty death, making his family eligible for federal benefits — a determination later echoed in public remarks by DOJ leadership [4] [5] [6].
1. Official date of death and immediate announcements
The United States Capitol Police listed Officer Howard C. Liebengood’s end of watch as January 9, 2021, announcing his off‑duty death the following day [1] [2], and contemporary news reports from January 2021 repeated that date while noting he had been on duty responding to the January 6 assault in the days before his death [3] [7].
2. Cause of death as reported by family, union, and media
Liebengood’s death was publicly reported as a suicide: his family’s attorney and the Capitol Police labor committee communicated that cause to media outlets shortly after the death was announced, and multiple news organizations carried those confirmations [2] [3] [8]. The U.S. Capitol Police initial press release did not specify a cause, but union and family statements — cited by mainstream outlets — identified suicide [2] [8].
3. DOJ determination — line-of-duty classification and resulting benefits
In November 2022, a Justice Department office determined that Liebengood’s suicide qualified as a line-of-duty death under the standards of the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits program, a decision that entitled his family to a lump-sum payment and marked the first post‑Jan. 6 officer suicide so designated [4] [2]. Senator and congressional statements noted the DOJ’s classification and the policy implications for other officers; the designation was publicly highlighted by lawmakers and later referenced by DOJ officials in remarks honoring Liebengood [5] [6].
4. What is—and is not—in the public record: coroner’s report and forensic detail
None of the provided sources publishes or cites a coroner’s report with forensic detail; reporting relies on the department announcement, family and union statements, and the DOJ’s administrative ruling [1] [2] [4]. Because the supplied material does not include a medical examiner or coroner’s report, there is no publicly cited autopsy summary or forensic cause-of-death certificate in these sources to corroborate clinical detail beyond the repeated reporting of suicide [2] [3].
5. Alternative perspectives, debates, and implicit agendas
The DOJ’s line-of-duty classification was consequential and contested in public discussion because it determines federal benefits and official recognition tied to January 6; proponents framed the ruling as recognition of trauma suffered by officers and as precedent for benefits [4] [5], while critics have scrutinized how deaths tied to Jan. 6 are counted and labeled — debates reflected in later media summaries and in attempts by lawmakers to legislate support and remembrance programs [4] [2]. The sources show institutional motives to honor fallen officers and deliver benefits (DOJ, Congress, USCP) and family advocacy for recognition and improved wellness programs in Liebengood’s name, but the supplied reporting does not include a contrary forensic assessment disputing the suicide ruling [6] [2].