Braxton Hofman
Agency patch
Correctional Officer

Braxton Hofman

Illness
End of Watch February 7, 2022
Age 23
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
The Vigil Panel 179 ›
Gender Male

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
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 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

Type Sheriff's Office
Location Madison, Lake County, SD
Platform Identity lcso.lake.sd.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch February 7, 2022
Tour of Duty 3 yrs
Age 23
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness
Cause Detail COVID19

Correctional Officer Braxton Hofman is one of 1 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 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 3.2 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

Lake County Sheriff's Office
1
of 1 officers
100% Illness
SD — Statewide
2
of 62 officers
3.2% Illness
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Braxton Hofman's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How Braxton Hofman Compares

Age at Death
23
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.7 years
Years of Service
3
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.7 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Braxton Hofman is highlighted in Feb.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
186
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
182
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
353
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location

Others Who Wore This Badge

0 officers from Lake County Sheriff's Office are honored on badge.nw.