SAN ANTONIO – The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is mourning the loss of a 23-year veteran, Deputy Jesse Zamarron, who died Friday while battling COVID-19.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar confirmed the news Friday, calling it a “very, very sad occasion.”
Recommended Videos
“Obviously, we’re a family in law enforcement,” Salazar said. “It’s always tough when you hear that it’s one of your own.”
Salazar said COVID-19 very likely played a factor in Zamarron’s death. The 68-year-old man is believed to have been infected around New Year’s Eve. On Jan. 1, Zamarron notified supervisors that he learned he was exposed to the virus from a family member in his household.
The deputy tested positive a few days later and remained on leave due to the office’s COVID-19 protocol.
Zamarron was admitted to St. Luke’s Hospital on Jan. 13 and had been ill “for the past several days,” Salazar said.
Currently, 52 detention deputies, 12 law enforcement deputies, 11 civilian employees and 77 inmates are battling the virus, Salazar said. Most are asymptomatic, the sheriff said.
The sheriff’s office continues to sanitize the jail regularly in an effort to curb the spread. But cases have been on the rise in the community, not just within the jail.
“Now is the worst time possible to get complacent while these numbers still continue to climb and we’re waiting to try to get this thing under control,” Salazar said.
Zamarron is the second law enforcement officer who died while battling the virus this week. On Thursday, city officials announced the death of a 35-year veteran with the San Antonio Police Department.