Two South Florida law enforcement officers have died from the new coronavirus, both men in their 30s who provided proof that the disease can claim anyone.
Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Sgt. Jose Diaz Ayala, 38, had been dealing with other health issues before he was infected with the virus, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
His death came after the announcement Saturday morning of the death of Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Shannon Bennett, who died a week after being diagnosed with COVID-19 at age 39.
Bennett, a 12-year veteran of the force, had been a school resource officer at Deerfield Beach Elementary School since January 2019, Sheriff Gregory Tony said Saturday morning. Ayala had worked as a corrections deputy in Palm Beach County until being promoted to sergeant in January 2016.
The men became two of the youngest people to die of the coronavirus disease in Florida. Only 4% of the patients who have died were younger than 45, according to the state health department.
Among Broward County’s deaths, Bennett was only the third person under age 40. Ayala was the youngest to die in Palm Beach County.
His survivors include two sisters, three daughters and his parents, the Sheriff’s Office said.
“Ayy my brother. You know the pain I feel,” his sister, Yinalis Diaz posted on Facebook. “You’re my hero. You were always looking out for me. You were the only best brother in life … I have lived many terrible things but no pain compares to your departure.”
Grisel Pineda, who is Diaz Ayala’s ex-wife, said he was a devoted father to their three children, Laylanny, Gianna and Bianca.
The girls “were everything to him and he is their hero,” Pineda said. “This has been the toughest thing I’ve ever had to do. All the girls are grieving so differently right now. He is going to be deeply deeply missed.”
Pineda said she didn’t know how Diaz Ayala contracted COVID-19. She also said he had asthma. Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Teri Barbera also said he had underlying heart conditions.
“I’m not sure where he could have gotten this, it’s unclear,” Pineda said. “He had asthma and had issues with sugar levels on and off. He was a great guy and had a big heart.”
A photo on the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Facebook page shows emergency responders at JFK Hospital along with a gurney covered by the American flag and a photo of Diaz Ayala.
“We love you and know you are all doing the very best,” the Sheriff’s Office wrote.
Bennett called in sick from work on March 23 and checked into a hospital the next day. He tested positive for COVID-19 on March 27 and died before midnight Friday, Tony said.
The sheriff said it’s unclear how or when Bennett contracted the virus. Schools had closed 10 days before he became ill.
“He was on duty when he reported it, so as far as I’m concerned this is an ‘in the line of duty’ death,” Tony said.
The sheriff described Bennett as part of the LGBT community who wanted to find ways for the Sheriff’s Office to better bond with this community.
Bennett’s friend Tim Martin characterized him as a loyal friend and a strong player in the South Florida Amateur Athletic Association, which runs a gay softball league.
“He was a very strong hitter,” he said. “That was his forte. And he ran well when he wasn’t hurt.”
Despite a gregarious, life-of-the-party personality, Martin said, his friend took seriously his responsibilities as a law enforcement officer.
“During the Stonewall Pride fest in Wilton Manors, he never participated in the drinking aspect, the fun part of it,” Martin said. “He always wanted to be in uniform, on the street, protecting his community. And he was very proud of that fact, that that’s what he did on most weekends. Whenever they closed down Wilton Drive, he was there, in uniform, protecting us.”
Juliana Calgaro remembers the deputy as a smiling, welcoming presence who made her autistic, 11-year-old daughter feel comfortable on campus.
“With my daughter having autism, I was very concerned about her, but he made her feel secure,” she said. “My daughter loved him. He was a great guy. He will be very missed on campus.”
The school’s principal, Andrew Gerlach, described the deputy as “a caring and loving school resource officer who was always willing to go above and beyond to support our students and community.”
“The Deerfield Beach Elementary School family lost an amazing human being and an awesome colleague to COVID-19,” he said in a statement issued by the school. “Our school community is truly saddened by his passing and extends our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. … His personality was infectious and he built positive relationships that impacted both children and adults. His legacy will be forever remembered.”
Mary Jo Trepka, chairwoman of the Department of Epidemiology at Florida International University, said it’s unclear why more younger people are showing up among the fatalities, but that it may simply be because the sheer number of cases has increased.
“In Europe there seemed to be a lot of young people with severe illness as well,” she said. “And the question is whether the virus is changing or it’s just because there’s so many cases now. If the fatality rate is 1 percent among younger adults, when you start getting 1,000 cases you’re going to start seeing deaths among younger people because there are so many cases.”
Most younger people with the virus will experience mild symptoms if they notice symptoms at all. For those who experience severe symptoms or fail to survive, she said there are many possible explanations.
They could receive a larger exposure to the virus. Or they could have underlying medical conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease, hypertension or diabetes. Or they could have an immune system weakened by lack of sleep or poor nutrition.
But Trepka cautioned that much of this is not well understood and that young people should consider themselves at risk.
“I don’t think we have a good picture yet of what the risk is for younger people,” she said. “It’s lower than for elderly people, but there is a risk, and as the disease becomes more and more common, we’ll see more and more cases, even deaths, among young people. Everybody needs to be careful, not just elderly people.”
In a Facebook post June 30, Bennett expressed some initial apprehensions about being accepted by his colleagues as an openly gay law enforcement officer.
“Through my work ethic and loyalty I was welcomed with open arms and have made a second family with the men and women here at the Broward County Sheriff’s Office,” he wrote, in part. “When you see me in uniform I am there to protect and serve and will continue to keep all walks of life safe from harm.”
Before his Deerfield Beach assignment, Bennett was a detention deputy and then worked on the road patrol out of the Lauderdale Lakes district office.
He was among 21 deputies, firefighters and civilian employees of the Sheriff’s Office who have tested positive for COVID-19 as of Saturday morning, most of them now isolated at home, Tony said. He would not say how many are hospitalized.
“I do know, but I’m not going to disclose every aspect of our agency,” he said. “They do deserve some privacy.”
On Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office confirmed that employees at a 911 call center had contracted the coronavirus.
As of Saturday afternoon, 11,111 people in Florida had tested positive for the virus, with an official death toll of 191.
Palm Beach County has more deaths than any county in the state with 35, followed by 32 in Broward and 31 in Miami-Dade. Miami-Dade had 3,890 cases as of Saturday evening. Broward had 1,765 and Palm Beach County had 954.
Tony urged the community to come together to beat the pandemic.
“I’ve been hearing a lot of different things throughout this community and we’re starting to have division amongst ourselves,” he said. “We’re fighting over and squabbling over times of curfews and whether or not we should go to work or go to the movies,” he said. “This is nonsense.”
“Every time we answer a call for someone who is non-compliant it puts our lives at risk,” he said.
“We lose Shannon today, but we’re going to keep fighting his battle. We’re not about to throw in any towel.”
wkroustan@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4303 or Twitter @WayneRoustan
