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48-year-old Dallas police officer dies because of COVID-19
A Dallas police officer praised for being a hero has died because of COVID-19. Family members said he was a healthy 48-year-old man before he caught the virus.
DALLAS - Dallas police are honoring a veteran officer who lost his fight with COVID-19.
Family members said before Sgt. Bronc McCoy got sick he was a healthy 48-year-old man.
He was recovering at home last week when his condition suddenly took a turn for the worse. On Facebook, family members said he had a stroke and was put on a ventilator. He died Monday afternoon.
Friends and family were in shock at McCoy’s death on Tuesday.
“He was awesome. He cared about his city. He had a servant’s heart. He has two beautiful, beautiful children,” said friend Breyden Marcus. “It’s shocking because I don’t know how it turned so bad.”
The longtime Dallas Police sergeant with the Southeast Division was featured on FOX4 in 2014 after helping to save a man from jumping off a bridge.
McCoy caught COVID-19 in early November. He quarantined and was on the mend until things suddenly turned.
“Last Thursday he got up to go to the kitchen and he fell,” Marcus said.
McCoy had a stroke and was admitted to the hospital.
“He kept telling me, ‘I’m coming home tomorrow, I’m coming home tomorrow,’” Marcus said.
But ended up on a ventilator, then passed away.
Methodist Health System Neurosurgeon Dr. Bartley Mitchell, who did not treat McCoy, says doctors are seeing a correlation between COVID-19 patents and strokes. They’re seeing similar cases more often as the disease affects more young people.
“We used to think it caused only a pulmonary inflammation in the lungs, but now we’ve learned it causes more of a general inflammation in the body and what that does is cause a clot in abnormal ways in addition to causing problems with the heart,” Mitchell said.
McCoy’s family describes him as their “rock” and they say they never believed he couldn’t beat this. They say sadly, they were wrong.
“I just want his babies to know that, they’re very young, that their daddy loved them so much,” Marcus said.
Dallas Police Department Chief Renee Hall said Sgt. McCoy was an outstanding officer who dedicated his life to serving others.
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