City Flags Fly At Half-Staff To Honor LAFD Captain Who Died Of COVID-19
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Mayor Eric Garcetti Tuesday ordered flags in Los Angeles to fly at half-staff following the death of Los Angeles Fire Department Captain George Roque, who died from coronavirus-related complications on Friday.
"We honor his courage over more than 20 years of service to our city," Garcetti said on Twitter. "We send love to his family. He will never be forgotten."
Roque was a 22-year LAFD veteran assigned to Fire Station 97 in the Laurel Canyon/Mulholland area of the city.
The 57-year-old is the second LAFD member to die from COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Firefighter/paramedic Jose Perez died in July of last year.
He is survived by his wife and four children.
Plans for a private funeral service have not been announced, according to the fire department's Brian Humphrey. The department escorted Roque's body from a hospital to a mortuary on Monday, Humphrey said.
"On behalf of the men and women of the LAFD, I send my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the Roque family and his friends and colleagues throughout the department," Terrazas said on Friday.
As of Dec. 29, 672 LAFD employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
The day prior, Garcetti announced that the department had enough Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to administer first doses to "virtually everybody" at the department.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)