Pittsburgh police sergeant dies after covid complications

A third Pittsburgh police officer has died from covid-19 complications, officials said Tuesday.

Sgt. Timothy Werner died Tuesday morning at UPMC Mercy with fellow officers by his side. He was 49.

Werner worked for years in Zones 4 and 5, said Chief Scott Schubert, and he’d most recently been assigned to the property room at police headquarters.

Schubert called him a friend and dedicated public servant.

“It’s going to be extremely difficult not seeing Tim at police headquarters every day,” Schubert said.

Werner’s death comes less than two weeks after Sgt. Richard Howe, 51, died from the virus after weeks in the hospital. Officer Brian Rowland, 47, died from covid complications in late September.

Schubert and public safety leaders have implored officers to get vaccinated, with police having the lowest vaccination rate among the four public safety bureaus — about 61%.

Mayor Bill Peduto on Monday announced a vaccine mandate for all city employees, including police officers.

Across the country, hundreds of law enforcement officers have died from the virus since the start of the pandemic. The Officer Down Memorial Page, a nonprofit that tracks line of duty deaths, has tracked 504 covid-19 deaths among officers. The national Fraternal Order of Police has tracked nearly 750.