Ex-Washington State Trooper Dies Of COVID-19 After Refusing To Get Vaccinated

KEY POINTS

Robert LaMay served 22 years with the State Patrol before he was asked to leave the job last October
LaMay had signed off for the last time by telling Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee to "kiss my a--"
His final radio call went viral online

Former Washington State Trooper Robert LaMay, who defied a statewide vaccine mandate, died of COVID-19 Friday. LaMay, who was aged 51, served 22 years with the State Patrol until last year October.

After being forced out of his job for refusing to get jabbed, LaMay had signed off for the last time by telling Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee to "kiss my a--." His final radio call went viral online.

“I am deeply saddened over the news that our former friend and colleague Trooper Robert LaMay has passed away,” State Patrol Chief John Batiste said in a statement Friday. “This agency’s prayers and remembrances are with his family and loved ones.”

The statement added: "Rob served honorably for over two decades and we were disappointed to see him leave the agency this past October. His service to this state and agency will be long remembered and appreciated... Let us now remember our old friend, support his family and loved ones, give thanks for his service, and resolve to meet the challenges ahead with continuing duty, dignity and respect.”

LaMay joined the Washington State Patrol in May 1999 but was forced to retire in October after refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

LaMay's final radio call was viewed millions of times and he appeared on multiple TV shows, including on Fox News, where he said he and his family “don’t do vaccines,” BNO News reported.

Earlier this month, his Facebook page was deleted after he contracted the COVID-19 infection. As his health started deteriorating, doctors put him on a ventilator.

On Thursday, the United States reported 551,328 new cases and 3,124 new deaths. The death toll comes as Omicron, the highly contagious coronavirus variant, starts driving the daily American death toll higher than during last fall's Delta wave.

A recent study by health care foundation The Commonwealth Fund stated that vaccines prevented approximately 1.1 million additional COVID-19 deaths and more than 10.3 million additional COVID-19 hospitalizations in the U.S. by November 2021. An estimated 1,087,191 additional deaths and 10,319,961 more hospitalizations were averted in the U.S. between Dec. 12, 2020, and Dec. 30, 2021, because of the vaccination program.