Coronavirus In Colorado: Jeff Hopkins, El Paso County Sheriff's Deputy, Dies From COVID-19
EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The law enforcement community in Colorado is in mourning Thursday as it was confirmed that a sheriff's deputy has died from the Coronavirus. Deputy Jeff Hopkins of the El Paso County Sheriff's Office contracted the disease and died from complications early Wednesday morning.
Hopkins was 41. He had been a member of the sheriff's office since 2001.
Hopkins leaves behind his wife Wendy, his mother and his father. It's not believed that he had any previous underlying health conditions.
During his tenure with the sheriff's office, Hopkins held positions in floor security, jail intake and release, patrol, and defensive tactics and arrest control instruction.
"He was an exceptional employee," Sheriff Bill Elder said at a Thursday news conference. "He was committed to the mission and the vision of the Sheriff's office, and he will be missed."
It's not known how he contracted the virus. Health investigators are working as quickly as possible to determine his exposure source, and who else might have been exposed. He was one of eight deputies in the El Paso County Sheriff's Office to test positive for the virus.
Since the outbreak began, El Paso County and Weld County have both reported 16 coronavirus deaths, the highest number in the state. As of Thursday, 340 people had tested positive for coronavirus in El Paso County.
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