Memorial for trooper who died from COVID-19 planned for next week in Tacoma

A memorial service is planned next Monday in Tacoma for a Washington State Patrol trooper who died Sunday from COVID-19.

The service is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Oct. 4 at the Church For All Nations for trooper Eric Gunderson, according to a news release from the State Patrol. The church is located at 111 112th St. E.

Gunderson, 38, became well-known for using drones to investigate collisions, including the 2017 Amtrak derailment near DuPont. The trooper traveled around the world on behalf of the State Patrol to speak on the use of drones. According to WSP, he contracted COVID-19 during one of those trips.

According to the news release, more information on a schedule of events, processions, livestream options for the service and traffic information is forthcoming.

Gunderson’s death is the 32nd line-of-duty death for the State Patrol in the past 100 years.

Peter Talbot

The News Tribune

Peter Talbot is a criminal justice reporter for The News Tribune. He started with the newspaper in 2021. Before that, he earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism at Indiana University. In college, he worked as an intern at NPR in Washington, D.C. He also interned for the Oregonian and the Tampa Bay Times. Support my work with a digital subscription