NYPD detective becomes first officer to die from coronavirus
Harlem NY March 29 2020 An NYPD detective died after contracting coronavirus — the first officer to succumb to the disease.
The 48-year-old crime fighter, identified as Cedric Dixon, worked in the 32nd Precinct in Harlem, officials said.
The 23-year veteran cop passed away Saturday morning at North Central Bronx Hospital, police sources told The Post.
“I can tell you that I’ve spoken to many of his friends and coworkers since this morning, and he was known as the person that would do anything to help you,” said NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea at a press conference Saturday. “If you had something broken, he was particularly fond of fixing technology and electronics.”
“He is going to be so sorely missed.”
“He was a very good cop,” said a fellow officer who worked alongside Dixon in The Bronx’s 40 Precinct. “Great personality.”
Dixon, who sources said suffered from asthma and diabetes, is the third member of the NYPD to die from the virus.
An administrative aide in the Bronx died Thursday, the same day Dennis Dickson, a 62-year-old cleaner at 1 Police Plaza was also claimed by COVID-19.
“We have lost three members of our family in a little over 48 hours,” Shea said. “As I stand here I cannot begin to describe what we are feeling, what the families of these three heroes are feeling.”
More than 500 members of New York’s Finest have now tested positive for the virus—and more than 11% of the force had called out sick, officials said.
“For first responders, you just don’t often have the opportunity to isolate. You go to the danger,” Shea said Saturday.
