A large law enforcement presence turned out in Worcester on Saturday to honor a state police recruit who died after becoming unresponsive during a training exercise.
Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, died at a hospital on Sept. 13 a day after becoming unresponsive during a defensive tactics exercise in a boxing ring and suffering a “medical crisis,” authorities have said. The state attorney general has since named an attorney to lead an outside investigation into the death of Delgado-Garcia, whose funeral was held Saturday.
Delgado-Garcia’s mother and others have said they want answers and accountability from the investigation, and she has raised questions about whether the training exercise was unnecessarily violent.
On Saturday, police carried Delgado-Garcia’s casket, which was draped in an American flag, from a funeral home as part of the service. A bagpiper played “Going Home,” and flags around the state were ordered lowered to half-staff by Gov. Maura Healey.
Delgado-Garcia’s funeral happened against a backdrop of calls for accountability that have spread beyond his family. The Latino Law Enforcement Group of Boston and Lawyers for Civil Rights in Boston have both issued public statements calling for transparency about the investigation into Delgado-Garcia’s death.
The state must “immediately suspend anyone potentially involved and responsible for the fatal boxing match to ensure the safety and well-being of the remaining cadets in the Massachusetts State Police Academy,” in addition to making other safety and accountability improvements, Lawyers for Civil Rights said in its statement.
Massachusetts State Police and the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Saturday.
Delgado-Garcia, of Worcester, died after the boxing ring exercise took place at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree, a little more than 60 miles (97 kilometers) west of Boston. Massachusetts State Police has said it has suspended full-contact boxing training activities among recruits in the wake of Delgado-Garcia’s death.
Delgado-Garcia was born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, and moved to Worcester at a young age, according to an obituary on the website of the Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel in Worcester. He earned an undergraduate degree from Westfield State University in Massachusetts before starting his career as a victim’s advocate in the Worcester district attorney’s office, the obituary said.
“Enrique was an exceptional young man who devoted himself to the service of others. He had always dreamed of becoming a State Trooper and to be someone big who made a difference in the lives of the people in his community,” the obituary said.
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