Anti-vaxxer sheriff, 33, is killed by COVID weeks after posting 'I have an immune system' and joking about shots making 'appendages' grow out of people's heads
A sheriff's deputy died from COVID-19 aged just 33 weeks after posing multiple statements criticizing coronavirus vaccines and their effectiveness.
Daniel 'Duke' Trujillo, 33, died on Wednesday from COVID complications with his family by his side, the Denver Sheriff Department announced.
The former marine served as a sheriff's deputy for the Colorado department for seven years and was the newly appointed the vice president of the Denver Sheriff Latino Organization. It is unclear if Trujillo, a married father of two, had any underlying health conditions.
Trujillo's death comes after he shared a series of post on social media about vaccine hesitancy, the most recent just 3 weeks before his death from the virus.
Daniel 'Duke' Trujillo, 33, (pictured) died on Wednesday from COVID complications with his family by his side
On May 7, Trujillo updated his Facebook profile picture border with a message that read 'I have an immune system,'
In late April Trujillo's Facebook profile picture border read 'I don't care if you've had your vaccine'
On May 7, the sheriff deputy updated his Facebook profile picture border with a message that read 'I have an immune system', an apparent explanation as to why he'd decided not to have a COVID-19 vaccination.
Prior to that in late April his Facebook profile picture border read 'I don't care if you've had your vaccine'
Although no longer on his page, screengrabs from a post shared by Trujillo last month include a TikTok post of another man claiming to be a US Marine who spews anti-vaccine rhetoric.
'You f***sticks are really out on social media going "Of course I went and got my vaccine! I did my research, I know what's in it, you peasants,'' the man in the TikTok said. 'Oh buddy, you are the research.'
'Being a marine has taught me one thing: never be the first to volunteer,' he added. 'Y'all rushing out there standing in line to get the vaccine like folks rush out to get the new iPhone, and if history has told us any new product that ever comes on the market is always full of problems. And you know how they fix those problems?'
Trujillo captioned the TikTok video 'I'll get it later on after y'all start growing apendages out of y'all's foreheads.'
Trujillo's also shared anti-mask sentiments.
In July 2020 he shared a post on Instagram that read: 'Before you shame me in public for not having a mask, ask yourself a simple question. Will this mask stop and uppercut?'
Trujillo shared an anti-vaccination TikTok video with the caption: 'I'll get it later on after y'all start growing apendages out of y'all's foreheads'
In July 2020 Trujillo shared a post on Instagram that read: 'Before you shame me in public for not having a mask, ask yourself a simple question. Will this mask stop and uppercut?'
Trujillo leaves behind a wife and a young son, (pictured together) a GoFundMe set up in his memory said
Trujillo leaves behind a wife and a young son, a GoFundMe set up in his memory said.
'He was a gentle soul with a heart of gold and will be missed by all that knew him!!,' the fundraiser said.
In 2017, Trujillo was suspended for 60 days without pay for using excessive force against an inmate who was locked in a cell but sticking his arms out through his cell door, the Denver Post reported.
He was the second Denver Sheriff Department deputy working at the city's Downtown Detention Center to die from COVID complications in less than two weeks.
Trujillo's co-worker Deputy James Herrera, 51, died from COVID complications on May 16.
Just last week on Facebook Trujillo called Herrera his 'brother,' and updated his banner to include Herrera's photo.
'He was a bamf! Good to everyone and always helped with giving advice or lend an ear and listen to someone bitch/complain. He will be missed,' Trujillo wrote about Herrera one week ago.
Trujillo and Herrera both worked at the Downtown Detention Center, which has had an active COVID-19 outbreak since April 2020, Cannoncitydailyrecord.com reported.
The Denver Sheriff Department website reported 11 active cases at the detention center as of Thursday.
As a sheriff's deputy, Trujillo was eligible for a vaccine in back in January, Denver Sheriff Department spokeswoman Daria Serna told Canoncitydailtrecord.com
Serna added that the vaccines were not mandatory and due to privacy concerns the department does not track how many deputies have been vaccinated.
'Vaccinations were a choice,' she said.
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