Massachusetts State Police have suspended all boxing training for recruits until further notice after a trainee died, a police spokesman said.
Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, from Worcester, died in a hospital on September 13, a day after practice in the boxing ring at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree, Worcester County, about 80 miles west of Boston.
Delgado-Garcia wore boxing gloves and a headgear during the exercise. The medical team determined he needed urgent care and took him to the hospital, where he died.
His cause and manner of death have not been released. Family members told reporters he suffered broken teeth and a fractured neck.
“The Academy has suspended full-contact boxing training between participants until further notice,” State Police spokesman Tim McGuirk said in a statement Sunday night.
On the day of the exercise, State Police Chief Col. John Mawn Jr. requested an investigation by the agency’s criminal investigation unit, which is assigned to the Worcester County district attorney’s office, McGuirk said.
Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said last week that he… name another agency to investigate because of a conflict of interest. Delgado-Garcia worked in his office as a victim-witness advocate before entering the state police training program in April.
“The department is fully cooperating with investigating authorities and urges the Worcester County Prosecutor’s Office to appoint an independent investigator as soon as possible,” McGuirk said.
Mawn also directed the State Police Standards and Training Division to “thoroughly review the Academy’s defensive tactics program,” McGuirk said.
“That evaluation is ongoing and will ensure the program safely and effectively delivers relevant skills to those preparing to serve in the military,” he said.
The review will assess safety protocols, training methods and curriculum, as well as medical and health considerations, he said. It will solicit feedback from recruits, instructors and others.
No details have been released about the boxing exercise Delgado-Garcia participated in.
The boxing training is part of a 25-week paramilitary curriculum that is “both physically and mentally demanding,” the academy says on its website. “While it is designed to be challenging, it is not intended to be impossible.”
Delgado-Garcia’s class is expected to be awarded degrees on Oct. 9. He was sworn in by state police in the final hours of his life.
Delgado-Garcia was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico and came to Worcester as a young boy, according to his obituary. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Westfield State University in Springfield, Massachusetts.
“Enrique was an exceptional young man who dedicated himself to the service of others,” the obituary reads. “He always dreamed of becoming a state trooper and being someone great who made a difference in the lives of people in his community.”
A funeral service is planned for Saturday.