Enrique Delgado-Garcia was born on January 2, 1999, in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, to Neftali Delgado and Sandra Garcia. He graduated from North High School in 2017 and went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Westfield State University. Prior to entering the police academy, Delgado worked as a victim-witness advocate in the district attorney’s office, where he was dedicated to helping victims of crime. His passion for justice and public service shaped his career aspirations, leading him to pursue a future in law enforcement.
“Interested in becoming a Massachusetts State Trooper? The journey begins now with the 90th Recruit Training Troop (RTT) process underway.”
March 23, 2024, 350 Candidates were fitted for uniforms by state police vendors for the 90th RTT by May 11, 2024 week four only 201 cadets left on deck.
On April 9, 2024, Enrique Delgado-Garcia entered the 90th Recruit Training Troop and was set to graduate on October 9, 2024, at the DCU Indoor Convention Center complex in downtown Worcester, Massachusetts.
On September 12, 2024 Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, of Worcester, became unresponsive in the boxing ring during a defensive tactics training exercise at the State Police Academy on Thursday. He was knocked out for nearly 10 minutes after absorbing a blow to the head. On-site medical team responded after Delgado-Garcia became unresponsive. They determined that he required urgent medical care and took him to the hospital. On Friday, September 13, 2024, Delgado-Garcia, 25, died at a hospital a day after the exercise at the Massachusetts State police academy in New Braintree, an agency spokesperson, Tim McGuirk, said in a statement.
On Friday night, before Enrique was removed from life support, he received his trooper badge, and the State Police oath of office was administered. He was surrounded by his family, loved ones, and classmates during the final hours of his life.
Lindsay Corcoran, a spokesperson for the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, said
“The matter is under review and the review has been active and ongoing since we were notified of the incident on Thursday.”
Enrique Delgado Garcia Injuries
Enrique Delgado-Garcia
Enrique Delgado Garcia Injuries
Injuries sustained during Practice Exercise
Enrique Delgado-Garcia chest Injuries left side
Enrique Delgado-Garcia Injury
Enrique Delgado-Garcia Chest Injury
Enrique Delgado-Garcia Chest Injury
Garcia Family Statements
Family September 13, 2024
Garcia Family Statements
Interview with Sandra Garcia:
According to Enrique Delgado-Garcia’s family, he suffered a broken neck, missing teeth, and severe brain damage, and the family is now demanding accountability as well as an explanation for what went on inside the walls of the academy.
Mother: Sandra Garcia
“They killed my child,” “Then they declared that he supposedly had a brain damage, the doctor says that my son looks like he had been in an accident in a car going 100 miles per hour, because of how hard that boy hit my son.” ” He
was hit so hard that it destroyed his brain and broke all of my son’s teeth, that his neck was fractured.”
Father: Canario García
“He was the best of all of us,” “All he ever did was study and run. That’s all he ever did.”
Stepfather: José Perez said
“As a family, we are asking for an explanation,” “Something happened so quickly and we are truly distraught. The family is devastated.”
Cousin: Omel Canario García.
“They killed my cousin! And they run away like cowards,” He does not believe what he’s been told about how his cousin’s fatal injuries. “Teeth missing? Brain injury? That didn’t come from boxing, especially a round of two minutes,”
September 14, 2024 – Governor Maura Healey
Statement from Governor Healey
“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.”
When Enrique Delgado-Garcia applied to the 90th RTT in 2023, funding for the class had not yet been finalized, but the process proceeded with the expectation that approval would be granted. An email sent to recruits stated the following:
“I am pleased to inform you that in anticipation of funding, the Massachusetts State Police (MSP) will soon begin preparations for the 90″ Recruit Training Troop (RTT). Please note that the budget for this class has not yet been approved by the Legislature; the 90th RTT remains subject to appropriation.‘
September 12, 2024
Enrique Delgado-Garcia, 25, of Worcester, became unresponsive in the boxing ring during a defensive tactics training exercise at the State Police Academy on Thursday.
He was knocked out for nearly 10 minutes after absorbing a blow to the head.
On-site medical team responded after Delgado-Garcia became unresponsive. They determined that he required urgent medical care and took him to the hospital.
September 13, 2024
Delgado-Garcia, 25, died at a hospital a day after the exercise at the Massachusetts State police academy in New Braintree, an agency spokesperson, Tim McGuirk, said in a statement.
On Friday night, before Enrique was removed from life support, he received his trooper badge and the State Police oath of office was administered. He was surrounded by his family, loved ones, and classmates during during the final hours of his life.
Lindsay Corcoran, a spokesperson for the Worcester County District Attorney’s office, said: “The matter is under review and the review has been active and ongoing since we were notified of the incident on Thursday.”
September 14, 2024
Delgado-Garcia was pinned a trooper on his deathbed, and a police procession escorted his body to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Statement from Governor Healey on the Death Enrique Delgado Garcia
“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.”
His death would normally be investigated by the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office. But because Delgado-Garcia had worked as a victim advocate in the office,
District Attorney Joseph Early called for outside review.
The former classmate of the Massachusetts State Police recruit who died after an incident at the academy says he was subject to hazing and harassment.
September 22, 2024
State Police announced a suspension of all boxing training activities at the academy.
September 23, 2024
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has appointed attorney David Meier to head an independent investigation into the death of state police recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia.
“Trooper Delgado-Garcia lost his life while training to protect and serve the Commonwealth, and I want to thank his family and the public for their patience as we sought to identify the most appropriate authority to investigate the facts surrounding his tragic death,” said AG Campbell. “Today, I am appointing Attorney David Meier to lead that investigation. Mr. Meier has deep experience in death investigations and will ensure independence and integrity in
this matter.”
Mr. Meier will oversee the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Delgado-Garcia’s death independently and impartially. He will have complete authority to select his own investigative and legal team and to make his own independent decisions about the facts, the evidence, and the course of the investigation.
Mr. Meier and the investigative team will be afforded the full support of the Attorney General’s Office, and the AGO will be briefed throughout the investigation. The Massachusetts State Police will have no role in the investigative team or decision-making process. Read Full Statement Here
May, 2025
Colonel Geoffrey Noble commissioned the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) to conduct an independent review of the academy’s culture and safety protocols.
August 27, 2025
Delgado-Garcia’s cause of death is publicly released by his family’s attorney. The autopsy report describing bleeding in the brain caused by blunt force injuries to the head Source
February 9, 2026
Attorney General Campbell and independent counsel David Meier announced criminal charges against four MSP members: Lt. Jennifer Penton and Troopers Edwin Rodriguez, David Montanez, and Casey LaMonte.
indicted members of the academy staff “committed a series of wanton and reckless acts in connection with various defensive tactics and physical confrontation training exercises conducted at the academy” in the days and weeks before Delgado-Garcia’s death.
Those acts “resulted in Enrique Delgado-Garcia suffering concussion-like symptoms as the result of unauthorized, unapproved, and unsupervised boxing-related sparring exercises that occurred during academy training activities” on Sept. 11, 2024 and “culminated in Enrique Delgado-Garcia suffering multiple blunt force injuries to the head and massive brain bleeding as the result of the failure of academy staff to intervene and bring a stop to a competitive boxing match between Mr. Delgado-Garcia and a fellow trainee that occurred during academy training activities the following morning, on Thursday, September 12, 2024.”
April 2, 2026
Lt. Jennifer Penton and Troopers Rodriguez and Montanez were
arraigned in Worcester Superior Court, pleading not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter and causing serious bodily injury.
April 14, 2026
Arraignment is scheduled for the fourth trooper, Casey LaMonte
Enrique Delgado-Garcia’s body was transported from the hospital to the medical examiner’s facility in Westfield on Saturday evening on September 14, 2024.
State police said he was administered the oath of office before his death, and his body was transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner by a motorcade that carried Enrique Delgado Garcia’s body from the hospital to the Medical Examiner’s office in Westfield.
Former MSP recruit
Former MSP recruit
Former MSP recruit
My dream was to be a State Trooper.
Former MSP recruit says he was harassed at the academy
The former classmate of the Massachusetts State Police recruit who died after an incident at the academy says he was subject to hazing and harassment.
MSP Academy suspend Boxing
MSP Academy suspend Boxing
MSP Academy suspend Boxing
MSP Academy suspended full-contact boxing training activities until further notice.
Tim McGuirk, a state police department spokesperson, said in a statement Sunday night.
“The Academy suspended full-contact boxing training activities between trainees until further notice.”
MSP Academy
MSP Academy
MSP Academy
FGB was developed by CrossFit, with the name coined by MMA fighter B.J. Penn. The program was incorporated into the training curriculum of the MSP academy and has proven invaluable in preparing recruits for the rigors and stress of the job of a State Trooper.Workout mimics MMA fight with compound movements. Three Rounds, each round is five minutes, with one minute rest in between. Total 17 min.
03:58 Designed to push past limits
04:16 Simulates real-life fight intensity
04:58 Training critical for life or death situations
Intense training simulating real-life fights to push recruits beyond their limits for life-saving skills. Training designed to push individuals past their limits for life-saving skills. Importance of intense training for real-world scenarios where it could be a matter of life and death
MSP Academy
MSP Academy
MSP Academy
Massachusetts State Police say a recruit was airlifted to a Boston hospital on March 8th and is still receiving care for a serious illness. Recruit was hospitalized for eight days in the Critical Medical Unit.
During morning inspection on Wednesday, March 8, the Massachusetts State Police Academy Drill Staff observed that a Trainee in the 88th Recruit Training Troop appeared ill. The Trainee was sent to the on-site Academy Medical Unit and was assessed by a Trooper, who immediately directed that the Trainee be transported by ambulance to UMass Memorial-Harrington Hospital, where he was treated for a serious illness. The Trainee was subsequently transferred, via medical helicopter, to Beth Israel-Deaconess in Boston, where he continues to receive care for his illness,” Dave Procopio, MSP spokesman, said in a statement.
MSP Academy
MSP Academy
MSP Academy
Multiple Massachusetts State Police Academy trainees were injured during an unauthorized training exercise at the facility in New Braintree.
They were treated for injuries after being forced to do “bear crawls” across hot pavement.
Statement from Dave Procopio
“The exercise resulted in blisters on some trainees’ hands, which were treated by the Academy Medical Unit. The Colonel immediately initiated an investigation of the unauthorized training and further increased oversight of training operations,” state police spokesman Dave Procopio said in a statement.
The department removed the two academy drill instructors who supervised the exercises and returned them to their regular assignments elsewhere in the department at the direction of State Police Col. Christopher Mason. Detective Lt Scott McDonald, commandant of the academy, and Lt. Matthew Gladu were the supervisors transferred out along with a pair of drill instructors involved in the bear-crawling exercise
July 6, 2022 Multiple Massachusetts State Police Academy The recruit sustained a superficial wound to his lower leg on July 6, and was taken by ambulance to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester.
He was holstering his gun at the time of the mishap, according to state police report.
By the afternoon, he had returned to the academy and was expected to resume training.
Cadet involved in an accidental shooting at the academy has resigned after his return from a hospital. The recruit submitted his resignation and left the program Thursday.
The trainee was a member of the 87th recruit training class that is expected to graduate in October.
Multiple Massachusetts State Police Academy December, two troopers were suspended without pay for failing to intervene when a group of trainees were filmed
hurtling down a makeshift slip-n-slide in a hallway at the facility.
Statement from Dave Procopio
Troopers Douglas Grout was suspended for 45 days and Trooper Ryan Stanley was suspended for 30 days , both without pay. An internal investigation revealed Grout and Stanley directed the trainees to participate,
took video of the hijinks.
In 2005, senior officials at the academy were reassigned to other posts after it was revealed that instructors had been dunking trainees’ heads into dirty toilet bowls. Lt. Richard Lane was removed from his post. A decade earlier,
a state appeals court judge had ruled that the state’s anti-hazing law did not apply to the academy. The academy’s regulations strictly prohibit officers from engaging in unprofessional language or behavior.In 1988, Timothy Shepard, a 25-year-old from Pittsfield, collapsed from heat stroke just a week into his training at a state police academy. Although he eventually regained consciousness and underwent surgery, he succumbed to an infection and passed away six weeks later on November 3, 1998
Police recruits walk out FRAMINGHAM, Mass. (AP) – Nearly a quarter of the training class at the Massachusetts State Police Academy walked out one week after the course began, calling it “degrading and inhuman treatment.” But Sgt. Paul Biloff said the 25 percent dropout rate is normal. Four of the eight women recruits were among those who walked out. “The pressure situations created at the academy are designed to make a trainee react quickly to situations he might face in the future,” Biloff “It weeds out the people who can’t take it. The really intense pressure is in the first week. They don’t realize it will let up as the 20-week program goes along.” But even so, it was still too much for some of the recruits. None of them wanted to be identified, they said, because it might hurt them while looking for other jobs.Öne of the 119 recruits who started the course last week said he reported to camp in a business suit and was ordered to run a mile through mud and water, then do pushups in a puddle. “They woke us in the night and made us drag our sheets and bedclothes through the showers and then sleep in them,” he said Another recruit who left after 72 hours said trainees were jammed in groups into toilet stalls and made to stay there for one hour. “We had a couple of guys who had been in the Marine Corps and said it was worse than Parris Island,” he said. “One guy said. He’d rather do one year of boot camp there than what the state police were doing to us.”
The director of security at the academy that trains officers who serve in Massachusetts courts stepped down, after a report of an investigation looking into claims of abuse at the academy was released.
Jefferey Morrow was at the helm of the Massachusetts Court Officer Training Academy for eight years.
According to the report, five recruits in one academy class “were either struck in the face or strangled during defensive tactics training or ‘extra help’ sessions.”
Instructors were heard bragging about recruits getting kicked out, including “a disabled recruit who did not pass…by one pushup,” the document lays out.
Massachusetts Police Academy Training Manual
Retired troopers and a State Police spokesman told NJ Advance Media that boxing was a normal part of academy training. Recruits have been hospitalized before after fights, according to Lt. Jeffrey Flynn.
Officials conducted a “complete review” of the “active countermeasures block,” the training area where boxing was used, according to spokesman Peter Aseltine. The State Police suspended boxing at the Sea Girt Academy.
Police Training Commission Votes Unanimously to Support Statewide Police Licensure, Training Overhaul
State Police Recruit Lucas Homeijer, center, was a member of the 161st Trooper class. He died Dec. 1, 2020, after being injured while training. His father, retired Trooper Don Homeijer, is on the left. Lucas’ brother Jake is on the right.
Lucas C. Homeijer was boxing with a fellow recruit when he “lost consciousness,” officials said. He spent several days at a hospital before he died Tuesday.
