SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A San Jose police officer was found dead in his home over the weekend in the South Bay. The officer is said to be 24-year-old former San Jose State football player DeJon Packer, a graduate of SJPD academy in 2021.
Milpitas police tell ABC7 News that Packer was off-duty when he was found dead in his home Sunday afternoon.
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"It's a difficult day here at the police department today for a lot of us," SJPD Sgt. Christian Camarillo said.
"Everybody is heartbroken for Pack, for his family and for our football family here because he had a tremendous impact on everyone he met," SJSU Football head coach Brent Brennan said.
Packer was a local kid who made an impact on his community in many ways.
After a successful football career at Gunderson High School and San Jose City College, Packer came to the Spartan program.
Coach Brennan said he was a leader on and off the field.
"On the football field he was fantastic," Brennan said. "He was a guy that walked on here from San Jose City College and earned a scholarship. He was always on the 3.0 wall. He did everything right all the time."
San Jose State emphasizes life "beyond football" and Packer took the lessons to heart when deciding what he would do after graduating from SJSU.
He joined the San Jose Police Department where he graduated with the academy's pandemic class in 2021.
"Being a police officer, serving the community spoke to him, which is not surprising," Brennan said. "He was always volunteering for community outreach and was always engaged that way."
"We have a lot of people here that are grieving yesterday, today and will be for some time," Sgt. Camarillo said. "This officer was really well-liked."
DeJon Packer was 24 years old, a life many close to him said was lost too soon.
"Being that young and the good that he was already putting out to the world, to not have that around here and in San Jose is a devastating loss for all of us," Brennan said.
The investigation is still ongoing by Milpitas Police and no cause of death has been announced.
SJPD did make clear that despite reports on social media, there is no connection between the SJPD officer's death and a double stabbing in San Jose over the weekend.
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