Funeral arrangements were pending Thursday morning for a fifth Los Angeles Police Department employee who has died of complications from COVID-19.
Sgt. Amelia “Terry” Martinez, who was assigned to the Hollenbeck Division, died Tuesday. She was 53.
Martinez is the third LAPD officer and the fifth LAPD employee to died from COVID-19.
“We thank you for your service and you will be greatly missed,” Chief Michel Moore said. “May God welcome you home and may God bless the Los Angeles Police Department.”
Capt. Rick Stabile, Hollenbeck’s commanding officer, said in a Twitter post that Martinez “served the citizens of Los Angeles for over 27 years. She was loved by the officers and the community.”
Martinez is survived by her sons, Robert and Steven, and daughter Amanda Lara, as well as her mother and siblings, Moore said.
In a statement Wednesday night, Governor Gavin Newsom said he and his wife were “profoundly saddened” to learn of Martinez’s death, adding that flags at the state capitol building would be flown at half-staff in her honor.
“Her bravery, decades of selfless service to the people of Los Angeles and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” Newsom said in the statement. ”We offer our deepest condolences to her family, friends, colleagues and members of the Los Angeles community as they grieve her loss.”
The other LAPD employees who have died of coronavirus complications are Police Service representative Raymond Guerrero, 24, who died earlier this month; Sgt. Fred Cueto, a 22-year veteran who died in December; and detention Officer Erica McAdoo, 39, and Officer Valentin Martinez, 45, who both died last July.