UPDATE: Massachusetts State Police trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia was sworn in as a trooper shortly before his death, a department spokesman said, some of the new information shared on Delgado-Garcia's death Saturday.
The family of a Massachusetts State Police trainee whom officials have said was seriously injured during an exercise at the academy and later died is outraged.
Enrique Delgado-Garcia, a 25-year-old recruit at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree, died after a medical crisis during a training exercise. Now, his family has questions about how a training could have left him with serious injuries including severe brain trauma.
Massachusetts State Police said in a statement that he suffered a medical crisis during a defensive tactics training and became unresponsive.
He was later rushed to the hospital, where he died.
Delgado-Garcia's family said their loved one suffered a broken neck, missing teeth and severe brain damage and are now demanding accountability as well as an explanations to what went on inside the walls of the academy.
"I'm ashamed of MSP, and I feel like they need to thoroughly investigate this and justice needs to be brought because its not okay how they're treating these troops." said a friend of Delgado-Garcia's. "If my friend could end up like this this could be anyones son or daughter."
State police offered their support to Delgado-Garcia's family, calling his death a heartbreaking loss.
Gov. Maura Healey issued a statement Saturday on the recruit's death: “I’m heartbroken about the loss of Massachusetts State Police Trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia, who had committed himself to a career protecting the people of Massachusetts. He was a beloved member of his academy class, known for his compassion and devotion to service. This is a devastating time for all who knew and loved him, and we are holding Enrique’s family and his State Police community in our hearts.”
Massachusetts Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll echoed the governor's feelings in comments to NBC10 Boston.
"It's a tragic loss. We are all really just feeling it for his family. For Enrique. For his academy classmates. And express so much sympathy. Young man. Had a career ahead of him protecting people of Massachusetts was his goal. And so we're incredibly saddened by it. It's just tragic.”
“We'll continue to work to obviously understand exactly what transpired but I'm sure there'll be a full investigation," she added.
