After suffering emergency during training, Massachusetts police recruit sworn in as a trooper in his final hours of life

By Cindy Von Quednow, CNN

(CNN) — A Massachusetts State Police recruit died after suffering a medical emergency during a training exercise, the department said.

Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, was participating in a “defensive tactics training exercise” Thursday when he suffered a “medical crisis,” Lt. Sean Quirk told CNN in an email.

An on-site medical team quickly responded before Delgado-Garcia was taken to a hospital. “Despite the heroic efforts of medical professionals to deliver lifesaving care, Trainee Delgado-Garcia died at the hospital,” Quirk said.

Delgado-Garcia entered the training troop in April, and his class is set to graduate next month. He was given the oath of office in his final hours of life and he was sworn in as a trooper surrounded by loved ones and classmates, Quirk said.

“The Massachusetts State Police grieves the tragic loss of Trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” Col. John E. Mawn Jr. said in a statement.

Mawn described Delgado-Garcia as a “fine young man who devoted himself to the service of others.”

“Enrique demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to learn and a desire to deliver excellent police services to the people of Massachusetts,” Mawn said. “By all accounts, Enrique possessed and displayed all the qualities that would have made him an outstanding Trooper: kindness and compassion, dedication, commitment, willingness to work hard to improve himself, and a strong desire to help others.”

The incident is under review by the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, spokesperson Lindsay Corcoran said in an email to CNN.

“The review has been active and ongoing since we were notified of the incident on Thursday,” Corcoran added.

Delgado-Garcia worked as a victim witness advocate for the DA’s office for about a year and a half before joining the police academy, Corcoran said.

“Our office’s thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time,” she said.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.