NYPD officer who fought for 9-11 compensation funding dies

A former New York City police detective who fought for the 9|11 Victim Compensation Fund died just weeks after testifying before Congress. He was 53.

Detective Luis Alvarez’s death from cancer was announced by Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea on Twitter. 

He had blamed his illness on the three months he spent cleaning the World Trade Center’s twin towers after the 2001 attacks.

Appearing alongside former Daily Show host Jon Stewart at the June 11 hearing, Alvarez had implored members of Congress to replenish the fund as thousands of responders and their families wait for assistance.