The Massachusetts State Police recruit dies after being injured while boxing at the academy

BOSTON – A Massachusetts State Police recruit died “after a medical crisis suffered during a training exercise” at the academy in New Braintree, the agency said. The intern, 25-year-old Enrique Delgado-Garcia, had been on life support at a Worcester hospital, according to I-Team sources.

On Thursday The I-Team reported that the trainee was seriously injured during a boxing exercise, which is a regular part of state police training. Sources tell the I-Team the recruit was knocked out for nearly 10 minutes after being hit in the head.

“On Thursday, September 12, Trainee Delgado-Garcia became unresponsive during a defensive tactics exercise,” a Massachusetts State Police spokesperson said. “The Academy’s on-site medical team, which includes dedicated staff from UMass Medical, responded immediately and provided assistance. The medical team determined that Delgado-Garcia required emergency medical care and transported him via ambulance to a local medical facility. Despite the heroic efforts of medical staff to provide life-saving care, intern Delgado-Garcia died at the hospital.”

Death of Enrique Delgado-Garcia

Delgado-Garcia was sworn in as a soldier by officials, according to I-Team sources. He will receive full state police honors. His body was also escorted by police from UMass Memorial Medical Center to the medical examiner’s office in Westfield on Saturday night.

The death is being investigated by the Worcester County District Attorney’s office.

“The Massachusetts State Police is mourning the tragic loss of Trainee Enrique Delgado-Garcia, and we offer our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones,” State Police Col. John Mawn Jr. said. “They have the full measure of our support and care, and they remain full members of our state police family.”

“I am heartbroken by 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 graduating 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,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.

Exhibited the qualities of “an outstanding trooper”

Mawn said Delgado-Garcia dedicated herself to the service of others at the academy and in her previous role as a witness advocate in the Worcester DA’s office.

“During his short time with the State Police, Enrique demonstrated an outstanding ability to learn and a desire to deliver excellent police services to the people of Massachusetts,” Mawn said. “He made an immediate impression on his classmates and the academy staff. 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.”

According to the state police website, the recruits in training attend a 25-week, modified stress, live-in academy with 90 different courses of instruction. The latest class started in April and is called the 90th Recruit Training Squad.

Boxing program at the state’s police academy

The academy reintroduced the boxing program in the late 90s. Todd McGhee worked as the defensive tactics coordinator at the academy for a decade. He said the goal is to teach recruits how to deal with violent and unpredictable situations toward the end of their training, when they have built skills and confidence.

“Often you find a recruit who has never had a physical confrontation,” McGhee said. “So, one of the goals was to be able to put a trainee in a controlled environment with conditions and have them go through an experience where it would test their internal strength.”

McGhee said that’s devastating, considering the precautions he took to prevent injuries. Participants are paired based on size and ability, and those with boxing experience are not eligible to participate.

“Sixteen ounce gloves, head gear, some type of groin protection,” McGhee said. “Someone is monitoring and making sure the combatants are engaged in something that is controlled.”

McGhee said there have been thousands of successful boxing contests.

“Injuries of this nature are not only tragic, but they are very, very rare,” McGhee said.

McGhee said changes could soon be coming to the academy. “It’s a tragedy and it’s important that we recognize that this is a very, very unfortunate situation,” McGhee said. “Do I see changes coming? Yes. I don’t think this is a change based on this isolation of a training exercise, I think it’s a culmination of what the state police have been through.”