Second Riverside County Deputy dies from COVID-19
Deputy David Werksman
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, Calif. - For the second day in a row, the Riverside County Sheriff's Department is mourning the death of a deputy due to COVID-19.
Deputy David Werksman died on Thursday due to complications from the coronavirus, the department wrote on Twitter.
The department believes that Werksman may have contracted the virus at his own mother's funeral a few weeks prior to his death. Sheriff Chad Bianco said during a Friday morning press conference that Werksman had no contact with anyone from the jail facility in Murrieta, where the first deputy who died from COVID-19 is believed to have contracted the virus.
RELATED: Riverside County deputy, 15-year veteran of the department, dies from COVID-19
On Thursday morning, Deputy Terrell Young, a 15-year veteran for the department, died of COVID-19. The department believes he was exposed to the coronavirus while transporting a sick inmate, Bianco said.
Bianco said there are now 26 confirmed COVID-19 cases among the sheriff’s department employees. Two are currently hospitalized. Additionally, the county is reporting 13 confirmed cases among inmates.
"His death due to COVID-19 is the latest excruciating loss as a result of the silent killer COVID-19 for our Association and the law enforcement community," the Riverside Sheriff's Association wrote. "His death is a grim reminder of the risks that our members face every day, serving the public in the face of this pandemic."
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Deputy Werksman spent his life serving the community and working to make our Riverside County a better place, according to the Sheriff's Association. Werksman began his career with the department in 1998 and worked assignments at the Robert Presley Detention Center, Jurupa Valley Station, Hazardous Device Team, Lake Elsinore Station, and was most recently assigned to Sheriff's Administration.
"He was a very accomplished Deputy and was an FBI Certified Public Safety Bomb Technician, had an advanced IED electronics certification, was a HAZMAT Specialist and Radiologic/Nuclear First Responder, was a confined space rescue certified, a Rangemaster, First Aid/CPR Instructor and advanced scuba certified, just to name a few of his accomplishments," the association wrote.
Deputy Werksman is survived by his wife and three children.
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