Holly MatkinNew Orleans, LA – New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) Officer Mark Hall died on April 30 after weeks of battling COVID-19.
The 53-year-old officer was diagnosed with the novel coronavirus on April 3, NOPD said in a press release.
“It is with great sorrow that the New Orleans Police Department announces the passing of a brother in blue due to complications from COVID-19,” the department said.
Officer Hall served NOPD for over 30 years, and was assigned to the 8th District at the time of his death.
He was extremely well-respected and well-known in the French Quarter, his widow, Sonya, told WDSU.
“It’s unbelievable the amount of people who have so many good things to say – things me and my kids didn’t even know that he did,” she said.
Officer Hall kept his family at the forefront, even while he was fighting for his life in the hospital.
“My husband is the type of person, that even when they put him on the vent and we were Facetiming, his main concern was me and my children,” Sonya told WDSU.
His daughter, Jasmine, described Officer Hall as her “nerdy partner in crime.”
“Nobody would want this to happen this family,” she told WDSU. “Nobody would want to go through the process of your family member being in the hospital, you can’t talk to them, you can’t see them, you can’t hear their voice for days on end and then they pass away.”
In addition to his wife and daughter, Officer Hall leaves behind his son, Mark, WDSU reported.
He is also survived by his siblings, aughts, uncles, cousins, extended family members, friends, and his dog, Peppa.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of New Orleans Police Department Officer Mark Hall, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.