LAPD Sergeant and Mother of 3 Dies of COVID-19 Complications: 'You Will Be Greatly Missed'
Amelia "Terry" Martinez, an LAPD Sergeant and mother of three, has died due to COVID-19 complications. She was 53.
On Tuesday, Martinez — who was assigned to Hollenbeck Division and had been with the department for over 27 years — succumbed to the novel respiratory illness, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department released on Wednesday.
Martinez is the third LAPD officer and the fifth LAPD employee to die from COVID-19, NBC LA reported.
She is survived by her sons, Robert and Steven, and daughter Amanda Lara, as well as her mother and several siblings.
In the LAPD statement, Chief Michel Moore described Martinez as a "bright shining star" and said that her death "is a loss for not only her brothers and sisters here in the Department, but for the people of Los Angeles who she dedicated her life to protecting and serving."
"Sergeant Martinez, we thank you for your service and you will be greatly missed," he added. "May God welcome you home and may God bless the Los Angeles Police Department."
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Capt. Rick Stabile, Hollenbeck's commanding officer, shared a message on social media that Martinez "served the citizens of Los Angeles for over 27 years. She was loved by the officers and the community.''
California Governor Gavin Newsom also issued a statement on Martinez's death. "Jennifer and I were profoundly saddened to learn of the death of Sergeant Martinez," he wrote. "Her bravery, decades of selfless service to the people of Los Angeles and sacrifice will never be forgotten. We offer our deepest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and members of the Los Angeles community as they grieve her loss."
The death of Martinez comes as positive COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the nation and the globe, with California being hit especially hard by the virus in recent months.
There have been at least 12,955 coronavirus-related deaths in the county since the start of the pandemic, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, with 281 fatalities reported on Wednesday evening alone.
There have also been 14,564 new cases of COVID-19 in the county, with 958,497 cases to date, and 7,949 individuals are currently hospitalized due to the virus, the Department of Health adds.
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