Retired Trooper Patrick Dragon (Photos: Connecticut State Police) HARTFORD, Conn. - A retired Connecticut state trooper, who was one of the first to respond to the Sandy Hook massacre back in 2012, has died due to COVID-19, authorities said.Connecticut State Police said retired Trooper First Class Patrick Dragon died Saturday at a Hartford hospital.Dragon entered the police training academy in 1998, and was a first responder at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown during the mass shooting that killed 20 young children and six adults.RELATED: Alex Trebek's request in final Jeopardy!
episodes: 'open up your heart' to COVID sufferersDragon worked for the state police agency until his retirement in 2018.