Police Chief Magazine|Topics|Mental Health|He Did Not Want to Die
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He Did Not Want to Die

Serena Liebengood, MD, MHSA, Clinical Associate, Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Maryland

Black‑and‑white composite image shows the U.S. Capitol at the end of an empty street blocked by a STOP barricade, overlaid with a seated figure seen from behind holding one hand to the head

He did not want to die.

He did not have to die.

But, like so many officers over the years, he died by suicide.

Howard “Howie” Liebengood was a 51-year-old, 15-year veteran of the United States Capitol Police. On January 6, 2021, he was on duty protecting the U.S. Capitol. In the days that followed, he worked nearly around the clock, with little sleep between shifts and no opportunity to decompress. Three days later, on January 9, he died by suicide.

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