2nd Chicago police officer dies of the coronavirus
Sgt. Clifford Martin
CHICAGO - Another officer of the Chicago Police Department has died of complications of COVID-19.
Sgt. Cliff Martin, who worked in the Area Central division, died Friday afternoon. Interim Supt. Charlie Beck said it is unclear whether he contracted the virus at work.
“I am saddened to share the devastating news that a second Department member passed away today [Friday] from complications of the COVID-19 virus,” Beck said in a statement.
Beck said Martin first began showing symptoms on March 20 and was hospitalized for about two weeks.
On Twitter, CPD chief spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said, “We are beyond heartbroken to share that another one of Chicago’s finest has passed away from complications of COVID-19. This is the second member of the Department to be overcome by the disease and our condolences are with his family & sympathies to his CPD family.”
Martin's death is now the second in the nearly 14,000-person department.
The first death of an officer from complications of the coronavirus was announced last week.
Officer Marco Di Franco was laid to rest Thursday. DiFranco, a married father of two children, was on the department since 1998 and assigned to the Narcotics Division based in the Homan Square facility.
Chicago police announced Wednesday 22 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the department, raising the number of cases to 134.
Of the cases, 128 are officers and six are civilian employees, Chicago police said.
A total of 237 employees have reported they’ve tested positive for the virus, but the department’s medical section has yet to confirm some of those cases, police said.
Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.