D.C. board rules that officer who committed suicide after Jan. 6 died in line of duty

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A District of Columbia retirement board has ruled that a police officer died in the line of duty when he took his own life due to injuries he suffered during the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Washington Post reported.

Washington's Police and Firefighters' Retirement and Relief Board said in a letter on Monday that Jan. 6 was the "sole and direct cause" of Metropolitan police officer Jeffrey Smith's suicide, the newspaper reported.

His widow Erin Smith fought for a year for the board to reverse an earlier decision denying her late husband's death was in the line of duty.

The latest ruling allows her to receive a yearly annuity equal to her husband's salary. It also opens the possibility for a memorial service to be held for him at the Capitol Rotunda and other honors typically bestowed to officers who died while on duty, the Post reported.

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