FBI Police Officer Dies from 9/11-Related Illness

A veteran FBI police officer died last month from a 9/11-related illness, according to the bureau.

Yiu Tak “Louis” Tao had been serving as a supervisory police officer with the FBI out of the agency's New York field office during the 9/11 attacks, Director Christopher Wray said in his eulogy for Tao that he delivered during a May 20 memorial service. Tao had been ill for several years, Wray added, and he died May 17.

During 9/11, Tao helped evacuate people from the World Trade Center. When the second plane hit, the officer tried to find shelter from the falling debris

"He described it later as something like a war zone," Wray stated. "And as the first tower began to tilt, and then fell, he continued to work to get as many people as he could to safety."

Tao's tattered, blood- and jet fuel-spattered uniform from that day now hangs in the FBI Police office in Washington, D.C.

"It serves as a constant reminder of one of our nation’s darkest days and, more importantly, of the courage of first responders, who choose to rush in and towards danger when others rush out," Wray stated. "Because, as Lou would say, that’s just the nature of those who have taken an oath to serve and protect others. And Lou took that oath to heart."

Tao served with the FBI for 26 years. Before joining the FBI, he served as a federal police officer with the Department of Homeland Security.