Boxing training suspended at Massachusetts police academy after recruit's death

The Massachusetts State Police have suspended full-contact boxing training activities among recruits until further notice after a trainee died, a police spokesperson said.

Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, of Worcester, died at a hospital on Sept. 13, a day after the exercise in the boxing ring at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree, in Worcester County, about 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of Boston.

Delgado-Garcia was wearing boxing gloves and headgear during the exercise. The medical team determined he required urgent care and took him to the hospital, where he died.

His manner and cause of death have not been released. Family members told reporters that he suffered broken teeth and a neck fracture.

“The Academy suspended full-contact boxing training activities between trainees until further notice,” Tim McGuirk, a state police department spokesperson, said in a statement Sunday night.

On the day of the exercise, Col. John Mawn Jr., head of the state police, requested an investigation by the agency's detective unit that is assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney's office, McGuirk said.

Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said last week that he will name another agency to investigate because of a conflict of interest. Delgado-Garcia worked in his office as a victim witness advocate before joining the state police training program in April.

“The department is fully cooperating with investigatory authorities and urges the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office to name an independent investigator as soon as possible,” McGuirk said.

Mawn also directed the state police's Division of Standards and Training “to comprehensively review the Academy’s defensive tactics program,” McGuirk said.

“That review remains ongoing and will ensure that the program delivers relevant skills safely and effectively to those preparing to become troopers,” he said.

The review is assessing safety protocols, training methods and curriculum, as well as medical and health considerations, he said. It is soliciting feedback from recruits, instructors, and others.

Details on the boxing training exercise Delgado-Garcia participated in have not been released.

The boxing training has been part of a 25-week, paramilitary-style curriculum that is “both physically and mentally demanding,” the academy says on its website. “While it’s designed to be challenging, it isn’t meant to be impossible.”

Delgado-Garcia’s class is scheduled to graduate Oct. 9. He was administered the oath of office by state police in the final hours of his life.

Born in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, Delgado-Garcia came to Worcester as a young boy, according to his obituary. He received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Westfield State University in Springfield, Massachusetts.

“Enrique was an exceptional young man who devoted himself to the service of others,” the obituary said. “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.”

A funeral service has been scheduled for Saturday.