Veteran El Centro police officer returns home one final time in honorary procession
Officer Efren Coronel contracted coronavirus in the line of duty
EL CENTRO, Calif. (KYMA, KECY) - Police Officer Efren Coronel made a final trip home Monday after losing his battle with coronavirus at a San Diego hospital.
Coronel contracted the illness after arresting a virus-positive suspect. He spent the past three weeks hospitalized at Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego. Last Wednesday, doctors took the veteran police officer off life support.
Oct. 25, 1968 – June 3, 2020
On Monday evening, an honorary funeral procession accompanied Coronel on his final trip home to the Imperial Valley from San Diego. Once the procession reached El Centro, people lined the streets to wave flags and share their respects and love with the officer's family, friends, and long-time colleagues.
Officer Coronel was an Imperial Valley native. He graduated from Brawley High School, and worked for General Dynamics in Imperial before joining the El Centro Police Department. He served 24-years.
Coronel was only 51-year-old. He is survive by his wife, his son, and his daughter.
