ATLANTA — A Transportation Security Administration security screener from St. Thomas who worked at the domestic terminal of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport has died of the coronavirus, officials said Tuesday.
TSA Officer Dian Phipps, 32, of Charlotte Amalie died Monday after getting sick with COVID-19. TSA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“For over 14 years Dian, dedicated his career to protecting the traveling public, and his contributions to TSA and our mission will not be forgotten,” officials wrote in a statement.
Phipps first joined the TSA in 2006 and started his career working checkpoint screening operations at Cyril E. King Airport in St. Thomas. He worked at the Juneau International Airport in Alaska before transferring to Atlanta.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to Dian’s family, friends and his TSA colleagues,” officials said in a statement.
Phipps said on social media that he was a graduate of Charlotte Amalie High School (CAHS).
His social media pages show an outpouring of condolences from loved ones and those who worked with him.
“Rip Dian Phipps you were a true friend and one of the best singers out of st.thomas i ever heard in my life you will be truly missed 
,” friend Ramos St. Thomas wrote on Facebook Monday.
TSA reported today that 12 of its more than 1,000 employees at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport have tested positive for the virus.
Phipps became the first TSA employee in Atlanta to die from COVID-19 on Monday.
