Roll of Honor
Incident
Deputy Sheriff Eric Ritter died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in a presumed exposure while on duty at the Moore County Courthouse.
Deputy Ritter had served three years with the Moore County Sheriff's Office and had previously served 30 years with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
COVID-19 and Law Enforcement
Deputy Sheriff Eric Otis Ritter died on August 19, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 57.
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 wife, daughter, three granddaughters, parents, and a brother.
In Our Keeping
- Permanent identifier
BO-US-NC-FE2F71CB- 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.
Deputy Sheriff Ritter gave the Moore County Sheriff's Office 33 years.
Thank you for your service to the Carthage community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Ritter.
— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993
Agency
Service Record
Incident Details
Deputy Sheriff Eric Otis Ritter 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 NC, 37 of 664 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 5.6% of this state's fallen. That is 3.5 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.
At Moore County Sheriff's Dept., 1 of 2 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 50% of this agency's fallen.
National Cause Distribution
How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Eric Otis Ritter's cause is highlighted.
How Eric Otis Ritter Compares
When Illness Deaths Occur
Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Eric Otis Ritter is highlighted in Aug.
Incident Location
Others Who Wore This Badge
1 officer from Moore County Sheriff's Dept. are honored on badge.nw.
