What we know about the State Police recruit's death
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Massachusetts State Police headquarters. Photo: John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images
Several questions surround the death of Enrique Delgado-Garcia, chiefly how a training exercise led to the 25-year-old state police recruit's death.
- The investigation is in its early stages, but some details have surfaced since last week.
The latest: Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said Monday at a news conference that his office is handing off the case to another agency.
- That's because Delgado-Garcia spent a year and a half working for the DA's office as a victim witness advocate, creating a conflict of interest, Early said.
- "There's no way this office can handle this," Early told reporters, adding he wants "someone who doesn't have a stake in its outcome" to take over.
Catch up quick: Delgado-Garcia suffered "serious injuries" during a defensive tactics training exercise in New Braintree on Thursday and "became unresponsive," NBC Boston reported.
- The police academy's medical team determined he needed urgent medical care and had an ambulance take him to a local hospital.
- He died the next day.
- Delgado-Garcia was sworn in as a state trooper shortly before his death, MassLive reported.
The injuries: Delgado-Garcia suffered brain damage, broken teeth and a broken neck, his family told NBC Boston.
Yes, but: We do not yet know the cause of death.
- The autopsy is done, but the autopsy report still has to be finalized, Early told reporters.
Where it happened: The training exercise was in a boxing ring, Early said.
- There's a video of the incident, but it's not public because of the ongoing investigation.
Who he was: As a victim witness advocate, Delgado-Garcia often worked late because he was on the phone with victims and others hearing their concerns.
- When he left to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a police officer, Early said he begged him to stay.
- "I said, 'Come on, you've got a home here,'" Early said. "We talked about him coming back being a Massachusetts State Police detective in our office."
What's next: Worcester County detectives continue to investigate Delgado-Garcia's death until it's passed on to another agency.
- Early said he doesn't see another DA's office handling the case because they also have state police investigators on staff and can't be impartial.