Denver Sheriff’s Deputy James Herrera, 51, died May 16 of COVID-19, according to the department.

A 25-year veteran of the department, Herrera, was most recently assigned to the Van Cise-Simonet Detention Center in downtown. He is the first deputy to die as a result of COVID-19, according to the Denver Sheriff Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #27.

“As we mourn for the loss of our Brother James, we must be mindful that he deserves to be honored for his service to the department and the City and County of Denver in the same way that any fallen officer would be,” wrote Mike Jackson, the lodge’s president.

An outbreak at the downtown detention center began in April 2020 and since has resulted in over 1,200 inmates and staff contracting COVID-19, according to the state’s outbreak data.

“We ask that you keep his family in your thoughts and prayers,” DSD officials wrote in a release.