President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden showed admiration on Tuesday night to Capitol Police officer Brian Sicknick, who died from bruises suffered during last month’s violent siege on the U.S. Capitol, as he lies in honor at the Capitol Rotunda.

The first couple walked up to the dedicatory ceremony of Sicknick, and the president placed a hand on Sicknick’s urn. The two paused and placed their hands on their heart to show their homage, before moving to flowers placed in the room in his honor.

A funeral ceremonial arrival started shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET Tuesday, on the east front of the Capitol, as honor guards carried an urn with the incineration of Sicknick and an American flag up the steps.

Inside the Rotunda, Capitol Police officers silently approached Sicknick’s remains, one by one, to salute their fallen colleague, by 10:20 p.m. President Joe Biden and the first lady showed their admiration, making the sign of the cross. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could also be seen among those in attendance of his funeral. Capitol Police members will be able to view overnight, with members of Congress allowed from 7 to 9 a.m. Wednesday.

A congressional tribute will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, followed by a ceremonial departure at noon before Sicknick will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Nevertheless, the ceremonial is not open to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The U.S. Congress is united in sadness, acknowledgment and solemn appreciation for the service and sacrifice of Officer Brian Sicknick,” Pelosi and Schumer said in a statement announcing the ceremony details. “The heroism of Officer Sicknick and the Capitol Police force during the violent insurrection against our Capitol helped save lives, defend the temple of our democracy and ensure that the Congress was not diverted from our duty to the Constitution. His self-sacrifice reminds us every day of our obligation to our country and to the people we serve.

“In a statement, the family of Sicknick thanked congressional leaders for “granting this historic honor on our fallen American hero.”

“We also wish to express our respect to the millions of people who have offered their support and sympathies during this difficult time,” the statement continued. “Knowing our personal tragedy and loss is shared by our nation brings hope for healing”. Sicknick, who was 42, is the third Capitol Police officer to lie in honor at the Capitol, joining Officer Jacob Chestnut and detective John Gibson, who were both killed in the line of duty in 1998. Rev. Billy Graham most recently received the rare tribute in 2018, preceded by Rosa Parks in 2005.

Sicknick was part of the five people who died as a result of the January 6 siege. Two responding officers — Metropolitan Police Department officer Jeffery Smith and Capitol Police officer Howard Liebengood — also died by suicide afterward, according to the acting MPD Chief Robert Contee.        

Sicknick died on January 7th, 2021 at the hospital. Details regarding the direct causes of his bruises were unknown, his family said in a statement at the time. The U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., has since opened a federal murder investigation into his death. 

All flags at the Capitol were flown at half-staff in his honor on Jan. 8. Sicknick joined the Capitol Police in 2008. He previously served six years in the New Jersey Air National Guard.  The New Jersey native was deployed to Saudi Arabia in 1999 and to Kyrgyzstan in 2003, according to the New Jersey National Guard. He was honourably discharged in 2003. He leaves behind his parents, two brothers and his girlfriend who he dated for11 years.