Washington State Patrol Trooper Dies From COVID-19

Seattle WA

27 September, 2021

2:47 PM

Description

OLYMPIA, WA — A veteran member of the Washington State Patrol died Sunday morning after contracting COVID-19 while traveling for work, according to WSP officials. Trooper Detective Eric Gunderson, 38, started his Washington career in 2005. Over his 16 years with WSP, Gunderson worked in the Criminal Investigation Division and played a central role in developing the agency's use of drones at crash scenes. He was also a member of WSP's SWAT team. "An early adopter and enthusiast of unmanned aerial technology, his work with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) has been chronicled in media stories across the nation," WSP wrote Sunday. "His pioneering work has allowed the state to shorten the time of road closures during collision investigations and of specific note, his work after the 2017 Amtrak passenger train derailment in DuPont gained wide acclaim and appreciation for its precision and value." According to WSP, Gunderson died peacefully and surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife, Kami, and sons, Blake and Braden. Officials classified his death as the agency's 32nd in the line of duty. "Eric Gunderson was a respected trooper and public servant," said WSP Chief John Batiste. "His is the first line of duty death since we commemorated our first century of service to this state just a few weeks ago. How I had hoped our second century of service would be more forgiving. But serving the public, as we do, has inherent dangers and this pandemic has been a foe to our agency and indeed our state and nation." According to the Officer Down Memorial Page, COVID-19 infections have been, by far, the leading cause of death among law enforcement in 2020 and 2021, representing 180 of the 298 deaths reported to date this year. COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths have soared in Washington in recent months, particularly among patients who remain unvaccinated. WSP said planning was underway for memorial services based on the family's wishes, and officials will share more details in the coming days. "We will show our fallen hero the respect and honors his service to our state and agency deserves," Batiste said. "For now, we simply will hold one another close as we grieve the loss of our dear friend."