(NEW YORK) — More than 609,000 Americans and counting have died from COVID-19.

Each week ABC News is spotlighting several Americans who have died from the virus.

Adel Hamdan

Adel Hamdan, a New Jersey veterinarian who was called the “animal whisperer” by his wife, died on Dec. 30, 2020, at the age of 73, NorthJersey.com reported.

Hamdan owned Totowa Animal Hospital, where he performed surgeries on animals and offered free care to those who needed it, the newspaper said.

“He would never let an animal go if it wasn’t taken care of,” his brother, Dean Hamden, told NorthJersey.com. “He gave of his time and he talked to kids about the profession. He was generous with his time, energies and his finance.”

Hamdan is survived by his wife, two children and grandson.

Another reminder of how much we’ve lost: Touching tribute here to Adel Hamdan, the huge-hearted veterinarian in Totowa, NJ, lost to COVID in December. Beautiful story & images by @AdelyReporter & @AnneCarusoPhoto https://t.co/nvTAWZb6Op via @northjersey

— Alex Nussbaum (@anussbaum1) April 15, 2021

Frederick Holloway

Frederick “Fritz” Holloway died on Jan. 28, 2021, at the age of 92, his obituary said.

The New Jersey resident spent 34 years as a bus operator, retiring in 2007, said New Jersey Transit.

“A proud U.S. Army veteran who served during the Korean conflict,” Holloway “enjoyed a good game of cards, a day at the racetrack, and a family cookout,” New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy told reporters in June.

Holloway was predeceased by his wife who died in 2006.

We remember Frederick “Fritz” Holloway.

Fritz was a proud U.S. Army veteran who served during the Korean Conflict. He was a bus driver for @NJTRANSIT. Away from work, he enjoyed a good game of cards, a day at the racetrack, and a family cookout.

May God bless Fritz. pic.twitter.com/fogftBLOD5

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 16, 2021

Juan Llanes

Juan Llanes, a correctional officer in Miami-Dade, Florida, died on Feb. 1, 2021.

The 57-year-old leaves behind a wife and son.

Llanes had been a member of the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department since 1988.

“He was always there for anybody who needed help,” former officer George Hubbard told ABC Miami affiliate WPLG.

“His family came first, and then his friends,” correctional officer Lynette Smith said in a statement. “We helped one another during difficult times . … After working with Juan for the last couple of years, I gained a brother.”

RIP OFFICER LLANES: The Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department announced Friday that Correctional Officer Juan Llanes died this week after being diagnosed with COVID-19. He was 57 years old. https://t.co/QRWPum38CJ

— WPLG Local 10 News (@WPLGLocal10) February 5, 2021

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(LAS VEGAS) — Kataluna Enriquez made history on June 27 by winning the title of Miss Nevada USA and becoming the first openly transgender contestant who will compete in the upcoming Miss USA competition.

Enriquez, who is Filipina American, beat out 21 other contestants to win the crown at the South Point Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. In March, she also became the first transgender woman to represent Miss Silver State USA, an official preliminary for Miss Nevada USA.

“I am so happy and grateful to be Miss Nevada USA 2021 and represent our state Nevada in this year’s Miss USA,” Enriquez told “Good Morning America.” “This has been one of my longest dreams and I am happy to share it with my community, especially the LGBTQ+ youth.”

“When I was young, I always said, ‘I wish I could see someone like me on that stage,’” Enriquez continued. “That’s something that I always didn’t have growing up and to be able to give that to other people, that’s one of my hopes in life to just be able to represent and create a positive change for those who haven’t always had those moments in life.”

Her historic win was met with an outpouring of support on social media, including a congratulatory post from the Miss Nevada USA organization.

“Good Morning WORLD! The Universe rather,” read the Instagram post. “Congratulations to @mskataluna for her historical win!!!”

Winning the crown was not always an easy feat for Enriquez. She got her start competing in transgender pageants in 2015 and later began competing in cisgender pageants where she had to overcome several challenges.

“When I started competing with cisgender women or the Miss USA organization, there was one competition where I was asked to provide documents that I think were invasive and were singling me out,” Enriquez revealed. “Also, I was not provided roommates, regardless of my identity.”

She said that despite providing all required documentation for a pageant in another state, she still had to undergo a stricter vetting process. Enriquez said she had to provide pageant organizers with legal orders, doctor’s notes and her identification card verifying that she is a female.

“It was basically just refusing me to be there, so that’s one of the experiences I’ve experienced,” she said.

“There’s a lot of backlash that I’m receiving and I think I want to use this time to really educate people on what it means to be trans, on what it means to be part of the LGBTQ+ community,” Enriquez continued. “And I think there’s still lack of representation in being a trans woman of color and being a Southeast Asian American.”

Now, she plans to use her life experiences “as a trans woman of color, and as a woman who is a survivor of physical and sexual abuse” to shape her platform called #BEVISIBLE, which aims to combat hate through vulnerability.

“I’ve learned that people just take advantage of our vulnerable moments and use it to kind of belittle us and dehumanize us but in reality it’s what makes us connect as humans,” said Enriquez. “My goal this time is to expand my platform for other people and have them share their stories so we can create a world where everyone is aware of things and we can have positive conversations and not let anyone who is experiencing difficultness or different situations in life to feel like they are less than.”

In addition to being a titleholder, Enriquez also works as a healthcare admin specializing in LGBTQ+ care, a model and is the owner of her own clothing line called Kataluna Kouture.

“I started my design company because I didn’t have money growing up,” Enriquez said. “I didn’t have money to be able to afford clothes and gowns and I couldn’t find anything that fit my body type and so that was very important for me,”

She attended school for fashion design, and says that when she first started competing in her own designs, parts of the evening gown would fall off. Her skills improved over time and she even designed the rainbow sequined evening gown she wore during the state competition in honor of pride month.

“My win is hope for a lot of people, hope that they can have a better chance in life, better opportunities, different outcomes,” she said. “I hope that my win gives them hope and a chance that lets them know they can also have a successful path in life regardless of what they’ve experienced and what they’re going through.”

Enriquez will compete for the national title of Miss USA in November. If she wins, she will advance to the Miss Universe competition and would become only the second transgender woman to compete in the pageant. In 2018, Spain’s Angela Ponce made history and became the first transgender woman to compete at Miss Universe.

“I’d love to be the first Asian woman to win a title of Miss USA and the first trans woman,” said Enriquez. “I think that will be a great example for moving forward to create a better future in our country.”

“My win is visibility and representation of hope and an example to love and celebrate diversity and your differences,” she added. “We cannot wait to spread our colors on the Miss USA stage.”

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At least two people are dead and several others are wounded after a driver of an SUV allegedly shot at several people Sunday in Tucson, Arizona, including multiple first responders.

The shootings unfolded at three locations where emergency personnel were responding to separate incidents.

Tucson Police Chief Chris Magnus said the incident began as the Tucson Fire Department was dispatched to a fire at 3:45 p.m. local time in the 2100 block of Irene Vista. At “pretty much” the same time, EMTs were responding to an unrelated medical emergency in a nearby park. That’s when, according to Magnus, a suspect got out of his silver SUV, approached the ambulance and opened fire, striking the driver in the head and the passenger in the arm and chest.

The 20-year-old EMT driver is in “extremely critical condition,” while the EMT in the passenger seat, a 21-year-old woman, is listed in stable condition.

Then, as firetrucks arrived to the call at the residence, neighbors were also at the scene trying to help.

That’s when the suspect “arrives on the scene and starts firing at both the fire department personnel and the neighbors,” Magnus said during a press briefing Sunday night.

At this point, firefighters called police to say they are being shot at. One fire captain was shot in the arm at the residence and is in good condition, while a neighbor died after being shot in the head, police said. A second neighbor was grazed by a bullet and is in good condition.

Then as a responding police officer arrives at the scene, he sees the suspect’s vehicle in the area. The SUV then rams the officer’s car, disabling it, Magnus said. The officer then exited the car and exchanged gunfire with the alleged suspect, striking him. The 35-year-old alleged suspect is in critical condition at a local hospital.

Magnus said making the incident more complex is the fact a dead body was found inside the burning residence. At this time, that victim’s identity is not known and police said they are unsure if that person’s death is directly related to the suspect.

Adding to the suspicions around these incidents, authorities said the whereabouts of “two or three” children “associated” with the burning residence are unknown. Anyone with information about these children, of which a description was not immediately available, was asked to call 911.

This is a “highly tragic, really horrific incident with many unknowns,” Magnus said Sunday night. The investigation, he said, will be “lengthy and complex.”

“I ask our entire Tucson community to join me in thinking about and praying for the victims of this afternoon’s fire and shooting by Silverlake Park, including first responders from AMR and the Tucson Fire Department. This was a horrific and senseless act of violence,” Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said in a statement Monday.

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