Holly MatkinQueens, NY – New York City Department of Corrections (DOC) Correction Officer Elvester McKoy died on Monday after contracting COVID-19.
The 38-year-old correction officer began feeling sick after finishing his shift at Rikers Island two weeks ago, so he went to the hospital, Spectrum News reported.
He tested positive for COVID-19, and was sent home to recover in self-quarantine.
“We don’t even know exactly how he contracted the virus,” Correction Officer McKoy’s sister, Geraldine Venson, told Spectrum News. “If he got it from transporting the inmates, or from his facility where he worked or if he got it from transporting the inmates to the hospital – we are not really sure.”
His friends and family were hopeful about his recovery and spoke with him daily.
But on Monday, Kevin Shepard found his best friend unresponsive inside his Southeast Queens home when he stopped to check on him, Spectrum News reported.
“When we found him expired, something inside of me expired, too,” Shepard told the news outlet. “A part of me died, too.”
Correction Officer McKoy spent nearly 10 years working as a school safety officer before he joined the DOC in 2015.
“He did have a passion,” New York City Correction Guardians Association President Vincent Capers told Spectrum News. “He was a positive young man. He was very sharp.”
Venson said her brother loved his work.
“He loved his job so much, he wanted my daughter to become a correctional officer,” she said. “So, we know his job meant a lot to him.”
Correction Officer McKoy leaves behind his wife and his six-year-old son, according to Spectrum News.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of New York City Department of Corrections Correction Officer Elvester McKoy, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.