(CNN)"Grey's Anatomy" returned for its mid-season premiere Thursday night, but an unexpected death on the show is leaving fans of the long-running drama devastated.

During a plotline on Thursday's two-hour crossover episode with "Station 19," Dr. Andrew DeLuca, played by Giacomo Gianniotti, attempted to pursue a sex trafficker and was stabbed. Deluca, a character on the show since 2015, died on the operating table after saying goodbye to Meredith Grey, who is suffering from Covid-19.