Roll of Honor
Incident
Correctional Officer Braxton Hofman died as a result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.
Officer Hofman had served with the Lake County Sheriffs Office for two years and had previously served with the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Office and the Brookings County Sheriff's Office.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Correctional Officer Braxton Hofman died on February 7, 2022 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 23.
He is one of 884 officers honored here.
Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.
Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.
Survivors
He is survived by his parents and three brothers.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-SD-0FD31713- Stewardship
- Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
- Added to badge.nw
- April 2, 2026
- Last updated
- July 23, 2026
Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.
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Tributes
The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Correctional Officer Hofman gave the Lake County Sheriff's Office 3 years.
Thank you for your service to the Madison community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Correctional Officer Hofman.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Correctional Officer Braxton Hofman is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.
In SD, 2 of 62 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 3.2% of this state's fallen. That is 5.9 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Braxton Hofman's cause is highlighted.
How Braxton Hofman Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Braxton Hofman is highlighted in Feb.