State police recruit’s death in Massachusetts overshadows graduation ceremony

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — Holding signs demanding truth and chanting for justice, several dozen people gathered Wednesday outside a graduation ceremony for Massachusetts State Police cadets demanding an explanation of how one of the recruits died 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. She was not at the protest but some of Delgado-Garcia’s friends and other relatives had similar questions.

“We are looking for justice, answers,” said Jennifer Verges, who was among several protesters holding a banner with a photo of Delgado-Garcia. “Why is he not here graduating with the rest? We’re here mourning his death.”

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Luis Canario, a cousin who was holding a poster honoring Delgado-Garcia and wearing a T-shirt with his image, said he found it hard to believe that Delgado-Garcia could have died from a boxing accident. He was among several people who said the graduation should have been postponed.

“We don’t feel like this was right that he doesn’t get to graduate when everyone else is graduating,” he said. “It’s not fair that, with an open investigation going on, they are still graduating people but one of their own that they call their brother is not here.”

The protest happened against a backdrop of calls for accountability that have spread beyond Delgado-Garcia’s 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.

Delgado-Garcia’s death overshadowed what should have been a celebration for the 185 troopers at a Worcester auditorium. There was a moment of silence honoring Delgado-Garcia during the ceremony and recruits wore shrouded badges.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and newly appointed Massachusetts State Police Superintendent Col. Geoffrey Noble all referenced his name in their remarks to graduates. They expressed condolences to his family and acknowledged the challenges the death has brought to his fellow recruits.

“Today’s celebration carries a great weight. You lost a recruit,” Healey told the crowd.

“Trooper Enrique Delgado-Garcia answered the call. He took the assignment. He along with all of you was drawn to serve. Trooper Delgado-Garcia was and is a special person, determined to not only to uphold the law but to uplift his community,” Healey said. “To members of Enrique’s family, friends and the Worcester community here today and watching, we continue to grieve with you and pray with you.”

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.

“He never had a bad bone in his body,” Canario said. “He was a stand up dude. He liked to enjoy his life but also liked to help people at the same time. He was always motivated to do better. ... He was going after this dream and this happened.”