NEW BRAINTREE, Mass. — A Massachusetts State Police recruit died a day after losing consciousness and suffering a “medical crisis” during a defensive tactics training exercise, authorities said.
Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, died Friday at a hospital, a day after training 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 immediately after Delgado-Garcia became unresponsive. They determined he needed urgent medical attention and took him to the hospital, where he died.
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 violent 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 they hit him so hard that it killed him, that it destroyed his brain and broke all my son’s teeth and he had a broken neck too, my son.”
This type of police training can cover a range of physical confrontations to defend against tackles, punches and other attacks. McGuirk did not specify what type of exercise Delgado-Garcia participated in.
McGuirk told The Associated Press in an email that Delgado-Garcia is a Worcester resident and joined the training program in April. The class will graduate Oct. 9.
“The Massachusetts State Police swore in Enrique Delgado-Garcia in the final hours of his life. He was surrounded by family, loved ones and classmates at the bilingual ceremony, which concluded with him receiving his trooper’s badge,” McGuirk said.
Delgado-Garcia will be transported from the hospital to Westfield Medical Examiner Center, he said, but added that the timing of the transport has not been confirmed.
“The case is under review and the investigation has been ongoing since we were notified of the incident Thursday,” Lindsay Corcoran, a spokeswoman for the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, said in a statement Saturday. Delgado-Garcia previously worked as a victim-witness advocate in that office.
A spokesperson for the Massachusetts State Police Association referred questions about what happened to Delgado-Garcia to the state police department.
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 recruits in the days and weeks ahead as they cope with this unimaginable loss.”
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey released a statement saying she was heartbroken 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.
A message was sent to Healey’s spokesman on Saturday asking if more information was available about what happened to Delgado-Garcia.
