‘Rest Easy Sergeant.’ NC deputy dies of COVID complications, sheriff says
Gary Mayhorn was a sworn Iredell County deputy who “served faithfully” since 2003, most recently as a jail supervisor, Sheriff Darren Campbell said Wednesday.
“With the heaviest of hearts,” Campbell posted on Facebook, that Mayhorn died of COVID-19 complications.
“Each of us will miss Sergeant Gary Mayhorn, and his passing will leave a tremendous void,” the sheriff said. “We humbly ask you to join with us in keeping the Mayhorn family in your thoughts and prayers. Rest Easy Sergeant Mayhorn.”
Mayhorn is the second Charlotte-area law enforcement officer to die of COVID this week.
For most his career, Mayhorn served as a deputy in the civil division, Campbell said.
Mayhorn, the sheriff said, “will be remembered as a humble, caring officer, who gave so much of himself to ensure the safety and well being of those entrusted to his care.
“He always had a smile on his face, and often an encouraging word, when you saw him,” Campbell posted.
It was unknown Wednesday if Mayhorn had been vaccinated against the disease.
In a Sept. 15 Facebook post, Mayhorn said he was battling COVID.
He posted a picture of himself wrapped in a blanket and his family dog by his side.
“When you have COVID and your dog try’s to comfort you,” he posted.
Expressions of sympathy poured in from colleagues and others.
“Gone before your time,” sheriff’s Capt. Matt Burleyson posted on Facebook. “So many lives you have touched.”
COVID and public safety workers
At least three public safety workers, including Mayhorn, have died since last month:
▪ Charlotte-Mecklenburg police Officer Julio Herrera, a 28-year veteran, died Monday. Herrera’s wife posted on Facebook post that her husband had “been battling COVID for about three weeks.”
▪ Last month, Carl Proper, a 39-year-old canine officer with the Kings Mountain Police Department, died of COVID-19-related illness, the Observer previously reported. It’s unknown if Proper had been vaccinated.
▪ A longtime Charlotte and Huntersville firefighter and his wife also died of COVID last month, the Observer reported. Jeffery Hager, a 24-year veteran, died Sept. 12 after fighting COVID for several weeks. His wife, Amee, died a week later.
In 2020 — the most recent year of complete data — COVID-19 killed at least 29 law enforcement officers in North Carolina, including sheriff’s deputies, police chiefs and school resource officers.
The virus killed about a dozen firefighters and more than 20 correctional officers, according to data from the state’s Department of Health and Human Services.