A Los Angeles police officer and her future father died of coronavirus complications on Friday, the Los Angeles Police Department told Fox News.
Officer Valentin Martinez, 45, was expecting a son when he died, the Los Angeles Police Department said. He worked as a patrol officer based at the department’s Mission station in the San Fernando Valley.
“Today we lost Officer Valentin Martinez, who tragically fell to COVID-19,” Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore tweeted. “He worked as a patrol officer within @LAPDMission, dedicating his life to the people of Los Angeles. To his companion Megan, his mother, and his brothers, our most sincere condolences. Ofcr Martinez, may God welcome you home.”
Martínez joined the force in 2007 and her domestic partner is 20 weeks pregnant with her twins. The COVID-19 related death marks that of the first of a sworn officer at the LAPD and the second in the department.
Earlier this month, LAPD detention officer Erica McAdoo, 39, passed away from the disease.
In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Protection League, the union that represents base officers, said Martinez “was a lost hero too early in life.”
“All of our officers have put themselves and their families at greater risk during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the union said. “We honor his sacrifice today.”
As of Thursday, 449 LAPD employees had contracted the virus, including 333 sworn officers. Of these, 270 have returned to work.
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The agency has seen an increase in coronavirus cases among its ranks that was partially attributed to interactions between officers and protesters after George Floyd’s death, Police Chief Michel Moore told the Los Angeles Times.
“This was a 21 percent increase and it is approximately double our historical rate of change in the history of the pandemic,” he told the Civil Police Commission this week.
