A former Massachusetts State Police trainee is speaking out about the death of a fellow recruit, while also detailing bullying and racism allegations he told NBC10 Boston he experienced while at the agency's academy.
Enrique Delgado-Garcia was rushed to the hospital last Thursday, after authorities say he sustained serious injuries during a defensive training exercise in a boxing ring. He died the following day.
The Worcester County District Attorney's Office recused itself from the investigation on Monday because the recruit had recently worked for the office as a victim advocate.
No decision had been made on who will take over the investigation into Delgado-Garcia's death.
In the wake of the tragic loss, the NBC10 Boston Investigators received several tips that said we should get in touch with Giovani Jn-Baptiste regarding his experience at the academy and his interaction with Delgado-Garcia.
On Tuesday, we sat down with Jn-Baptiste at his Marlborough home. The married father of two kids described being singled out, while enduring bullying and racist remarks.
"Since I came to the country, it was my goal and my dream to become a state trooper," Jn-Baptiste told us.
As an Army reservist who experienced basic training, Jn-Baptiste expected the 16-hour day regimen at the Massachusetts State Police Academy would be grueling and intense.
"Physically, I was prepared. Mentally, I was prepared for training, but not mental abuse," he said. "Every day, there was bullying."
Jn-Baptiste detailed a number of allegations during his 18 weeks as a trainee, including:
- Being told to "go back to Haiti"
- Being told that he "has monkeys in his head"
- Being told to sleep alone in a room with the lights on
- Being deprived of some meals
- Being told to stay up late to do things like count bricks in a wall or coloring in a pair of sweatpants with a red marker
- Being woken up by other trainees by knocking on his door and telling him to go home
- Being told to wipe the floor with his uniform by laying on the ground and moving his chest and stomach across the floor
- Being told to get a translator to speak to an instructor even though he speaks English
Jn-Baptiste told NBC10 Boston he has two documented complaints on file with supervisors at the academy.
We reached out to state police on Tuesday to confirm they are aware of the allegations and to request a statement.
"The Massachusetts State Police does not tolerate any form of hazing, discrimination, or misconduct, and we thoroughly investigate any allegation of such behavior," a spokesperson told NBC10 Boston in a statement Tuesday night. "The individual with whom you spoke was dismissed from the 90th Recruit Training Troop last month and is not permitted to reapply to the MSP. Privacy laws prevent the Department from commenting further on any details of the trainee's dismissal, however, the Department vehemently denies the allegations."
"One trooper assured me that I would not graduate," Jn-Baptiste said. "He said, 'I'm not going to lie to you. You don't deserve to be here. You will never wear that uniform.'"
The trainee said it was often Delgado-Garcia who was often there to offer support.
"Everybody knew Enrique because of the type of guy he was," Jn-Baptiste said. "He was well-liked and had a big voice. Really good guy."
Jn-Baptiste said he participated in a boxing exercise while he was at the academy. He described wearing protective head gear, a mouthguard, and using large, padded gloves.
That's why he can't understand how Delgado-Garcia ended up with such serious injuries from the supervised training exercise, like missing teeth, skull damage and a fractured neck.
When Jn-Baptiste's time at the academy came to an end last month after failing to pass a test, it was Delgado-Garcia who gave him a ride to his house.
Like so many others, Jn-Baptiste is now searching for answers.
"What is really hard for me to comprehend is that Enrique is dead from the academy," he said. "I want to know what happened to him."
Others who knew Delgado-Garcia, like, Felicia Tejeda, described his volunteer work. She said she's known the man since he befriended her son in middle school, describing him as humble.
"This is really sad for me, for the community, for everybody who knows him," Tejeda said.
Kelly Ochoa, a Mattapoisett teacher who knew Delgado-Garcia from volunteer work they both did at a homeless shelter in New Bedford, was horrified to learn of his death and was eager for the investigation to share what happened.
"Nobody right now, apparently, knows exactly what happened," she said. "But it just doesn't seem right that– you don't just die in a boxing ring when … something went wrong."
She said she hoped that whatever agency does the investigation is unbiased.
"And maybe if someone needs to be held accountable, then let's hold them accountable, because there's no reason for him to have passed on from this. This just doesn't make sense," Tejeda added.
