Massachusetts police recruit dies after a medical crisis during training exercise
NEW BRAINTREE, Mass. — A Massachusetts State Police recruit died a day after he lost consciousness and suffered a medical issue during a defensive tactics training, authorities said.
Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, died Friday at a hospital, a day after the exercise at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree, department spokesman Tim McGuirk said in a statement Friday night. New Braintree is about 80 miles (129 kilometers) northeast of Boston.
McGuirk said the academy’s medical team responded to the scene immediately after Delgado-Garcia became unresponsive. They determined he needed urgent medical attention and took him to the hospital.
Such police training can include a range of physical confrontations to defend against tackles, punches and other attacks. McGuirk’s statement did not specify what type of exercise Delgado-Garcia was participating in. He did not immediately respond Saturday to further questions about that or whether Delgado-Garcia was injured.
“The case is under review and the investigation has been active and ongoing since we were notified of the incident on Thursday,” Lindsay Corcoran, a spokesperson for the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, said in a statement Saturday. Delgado-Garcia once worked as a victim-witness advocate at that office.
Delgado-Garcia’s mother told reporters from NBC10 Boston and Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra that he was hit and injured.
“I don’t understand why it was so hard if it was just training,” Sandra Garcia said in Spanish. “I want them to explain to me, for the state to explain to me what happened to my son. … Why did he hit him so hard that he died, that his brain was destroyed and all of my son’s teeth were broken and he also had a fractured neck, my son.”
State Police Col. John Mawn Jr. said in a statement that his department “is committed to providing support and resources to Trainee Delgado-Garcia’s family, friends and fellow academy members in the days and weeks ahead as they cope with this unimaginable loss.”
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey released a statement saying she was deeply saddened by the loss of Delgado-Garcia.
“He was a beloved member of his academy class, known for his compassion and dedication to service. This is a devastating time for all who knew and loved him, and we hold Enrique’s family and his State Police community in our hearts,” she said.