CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A 20-year veteran Mecklenburg County detention officer died Wednesday due to COVID-19 complications, according to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office learned Thursday that 51-year-old Detention Officer Coretta Downing died and had tested positive for COVID-19.
The news comes after Downing worked her last shift at the facility on July 26 and notified her shift supervisor that she wasn’t feeling well on July 29 when she informed them that she would not be coming to work. Officer Downing was then hospitalized on July 30 after seeking medical attention, according to a news release.
“MCSO is deeply saddened by the loss of Officer Downing; our hearts, prayers and condolences go out to her grieving family. This came as quite a surprise to our organization as we all are dealing with the grief of the passing of one of our own,” says Sheriff Garry L. McFadden.
Officer Downing had worked with the sheriff’s office since April 2000 and spent the duration of her career at the Detention Center as a detention officer.
MCSO conducted contact tracing and notified any individuals who were determined to be in close contact with Officer Downing. No residents housed in the Mecklenburg County Detention Center where at risk of exposure since Downing had been assigned to the control room since April, officials say.
