Memorial held for Washington State Patrol trooper who died from COVID

TACOMA — A memorial service Monday honored a Washington State Patrol trooper who died from COVID-19, which the agency said he contracted while on duty.

Detective Eric Gunderson, 38, died last month. He is survived by his wife Kameron and two children, ages 13 and 10.

Gunderson was the technology liaison in the patrol’s Criminal Investigation Division and a member of the patrol’s SWAT team. He frequently traveled around the country to speak about the state patrol’s use of drones.

Gunderson contracted the virus while providing training for other officers at an International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in Orlando, Florida, according to the state patrol, KGW reported.

A spokesperson for the state patrol said late last month that Gunderson’s family was choosing not to make his vaccination status publicly known, KING-TV reported.

Gunderson helped investigate the 2017 Amtrak derailment in DuPont and his work also helped reopen roads more quickly after crashes.

The memorial service was held Monday at Church For All Nations in Tacoma.