A NYPD detective died after being infected with coronavirus – the first officer to succumb to the disease.
The 48-year-old crime fighter, identified as Cedric Dixon, worked in the 32nd district in Harlem.
The 23-year-old policeman died at North Central Bronx Hospital on Saturday morning, police sources told the post.
“I can tell you that I have spoken to many of his friends and colleagues since this morning and he was known as the one who would do anything to help you,” said NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea at a press conference on Saturday. “When you broke something, he particularly loved repairing technology and electronics.”
“He will be missed so much.” : “He was a very good cop,” said a colleague who worked alongside Dixon in the 40 Precinct of the Bronx. “Great personality.”
Dixon, who is said to have asthma and diabetes, is the third NYPD member to die of the virus.
An administrative assistant in the Bronx died on Thursday, the day that Dennis Dickson, a 62-year-old cleaner at 1 Police Plaza, was also requested by COVID-19.
“We lost three members of our family in just over 48 hours,” said Shea. “When I stand here, I cannot describe what we feel, what the families of these three heroes feel.”
More than 500 members of New York’s Finest have now tested positive for the virus – and more than 11% of the armed forces have reported sick, officials said.
“For first-aiders, you rarely have the ability to isolate yourself. You’re at risk,” Shea said on Saturday.