Capitol Police officer Devondrez Mitchell, who spent nearly 20 years on the job, has died from COVID-19 complications, according to Roll Call.
Mitchell, 51, passed away on Wednesday. Department spokesperson Tim Barber said Mitchell "had been out since he was diagnosed with a serious illness last fall."
He had joined the Capitol Police in 2003 and served in the Senate Division.
"Our hearts go out to his wife and daughter," Barber said. "Our Wellness Division and peer support counselors are offering support to our workforce."
Since March 2020, there have been 683 positive COVID-19 cases in the police department. Some personnel may have caught COVID-19 more than once, according to the department.
As a result, the department has been fighting to maintain its staffing levels, Roll Call noted.
In a Jan. 2 interview with Fox News, Chief J. Thomas Manger said the department was already far short of how many officers it needs.
"We’re now really about 400 officers short of where we need to be," Manger said on Fox News Sunday. "One thing that we have not been able to fix, so to speak, are the staffing issues."
And, appearing before the House Legislative Branch Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday, he said "well over 100 and almost maybe even 200 officers" are now out due to the virus.
Roll Call reported than over 70% of Capitol Police employees are vaccinated against COVID-19. However, there is no department vaccine mandate.
Jeffrey Rodack ✉
Jeffrey Rodack, who has nearly a half century in news as a senior editor and city editor for national and local publications, has covered politics for Newsmax for nearly seven years.
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