A rookie Massachusetts State Police officer who suffered a health emergency during a training exercise and was sworn in as an officer died Friday in his hospital bed surrounded by friends and family.
Enrique Delgado Garcia, 25, of Worcester, became unresponsive in the boxing ring during defensive tactics training at the State Police Academy on Thursday, police officials said. He told WCVB.
Police said the academy's on-site medical team quickly performed rescue operations and transported the freshman to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
“Despite heroic efforts by medical professionals to save his life, trainee Delgado Garcia died at the hospital,” state police spokesman Tim McGurk said.
He enlisted in the 90th Recruit Training Corps in April and was scheduled to graduate on October 9th.
McGurk said MSPs administered the oath of office to Enrique Delgado Garcia on Friday night “during the final hours of his life.”
“He was surrounded by his family, loved ones and classmates during the bilingual ceremony, and at the end he was presented with his police badge,” he said of the solemn ceremony.
Delgado Garcia's body was transported by state police Saturday from University of Massachusetts Memorial to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Westfield.
“Officer Enrique Delgado Garcia was weeks away from graduating from the State Police Academy,” an emotional union president, Brian Williams, told WCVB.
“I don't think there are words that can express how awful and tragic this situation is.”
Col. John E. Maung Jr. described Delgado-Garcia as “an outstanding young man who quickly made an impression on his classmates and the cadet staff.”
The Worcester County District Attorney's Office “is currently investigating all aspects of this case,” state police said.
Delgado Garcia previously worked as a victim witness advocate for the same district attorney's office.
Todd McGehee, a law enforcement and security analyst who previously ran the state police defensive tactics program, told WCVB the curriculum includes 40 to 50 hours of training.
That training includes learning how to use batons, pepper spray and handcuffs.
“Thousands of freshmen have participated in our boxing program without any issues,” McGehee said. “I think the important thing to look at is what kind of management was in place, what kind of safety measures were in place?”
