Massachusetts
Enrique Delgado-Garcia death investigation: What we know 6 months later
It has been six months since Enrique Delgado-Garcia died.
The recruit, pinned as a state trooper on his deathbed, was hospitalized after participating in a boxing training exercise at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree last September.
His stepfather says the family still has not received information about his cause of death as the investigation remains ongoing.
In a recent exclusive interview with Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, he said his wife cries every morning and sometimes they feel powerless, but he has faith that the authorities will reach a conclusion about what happened.
Attorney General Andrea Joy Cambpell appointed former prosecutor David Meier to lead an independent investigation into his death after the Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. recused his office due to Delgado-Garcia’s previous employment there as a victim witness advocate.
An investigation is ongoing after the 25-year-old Massachusetts State Police recruit died last week, one day after authorities say he became unresponsive and suffered a “medical crisis” during a defensive tactics training exercise.
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Meier has hired eight investigators to his team with experience in local, state and federal law enforcement. In a release, he wrote the following information about each team member:
- Lisa Holmes is a retired Superintendent at the Boston Police Department, where she was a Supervisor in the department’s Bureau of Professional Development and the Boston Police Training Academy.
- Thomas Larned is a former FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the FBI Boston Field Office, now managing his own investigative firm.
- Gretchen Lundgren is a former Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office in Boston, now with the Mission Advisory Investigative Group.
- Kimberly Lawrence is a former senior Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI in Worcester, now a security specialist with the Edward Davis Investigative Company.
- Norma Ayala Leong is a former Deputy Superintendent with the Boston Police, where she worked as a Supervisor at the Boston Police Training Academy and in the Bureau of Professional Development.
- Paul Joyce is a former Superintendent at the Boston Police Department, where he supervised the Anti-Gang Unit and Criminal Investigations Bureau, and is presently an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Salve Regina University.
- Robert Harrington is a former Superintendent with the Boston Police, where he was a Supervisor in the Homicide Unit and the Bureau of Internal Affairs.
- Edith Ayuso is a former Victim Witness Advocate in the Homicide Unit of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and is working with me during our regular meetings and conversations with the family of Mr. Delgado-Garcia.
Meier noted that none of the members of his investigative team have “any past or present affiliation with the Massachusetts State Police.”
“When I was appointed, I made a commitment to Enrique Delgado-Garcia’s family to conduct the investigation into his death professionally, thoroughly, and responsibly. The Independent Investigative Team with whom I am working is doing exactly that. The investigation is active and it is ongoing,” said Meier in a statement.
A copy of their contract obtained by NBC10 Boston from the Attorney General’s Office says Meier is paid a rate of $500 an hour, while the other investigators have an hourly rate of $100 an hour.
“These are people of high integrity. I’m expecting a 100% high-quality, high-integrity result,” said Jack Lu, retired judge and adjunct faculty member at Boston College Law, who said he is familiar with some of the investigators through their previous work in law enforcement.
It’s been almost six months since Massachusetts State Police recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia died from injuries suffered during a training exercise at the academy. As the investigation continues, some state lawmakers are calling for more information on what happened — and his stepfather, grateful for the lawmakers’ questions, says they haven’t gotten updates either.
Asked about the amount of time that has passed without a public update on the investigation, Lu said, “Sometimes they take a very long time to resolve and that gives the suggestion that the police are getting special treatment. That is undesirable and for that reason they should do it quicker, but they are not yet into the area where it would be considered long for a police investigation.”
“I know that matter is with the Attorney General’s Office and the special investigator she has assigned,” Gov. Maura Healey said this week. “I’d like to see, and I join with my entire administration in wanting to see, that investigation completed as quickly as possible so that there is resolution for the family, and so we also have final determination as to what happened.”
“The Massachusetts State Police Academy plays a vital role in preparing the next generation of troopers to protect and serve our communities statewide,” Col. Geoffrey Noble, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, said in a statement. “The Department has commissioned an independent assessment to provide valuable insight into the ways in which our training can best equip recruits to become highly skilled, community-focused troopers. We remain committed to ensuring that all training curriculum, staff instruction, and physical space fosters professionalism, integrity, and excellence, while prioritizing the health and well-being of our recruits.”
Three months after Massachusetts State Police recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia died in a training exercise, his family is still waiting for answers.
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The boxing program at the Massachusetts State Police Academy remains suspended. State police added that other changes are underway, including Noble’s appointment of Det. Lt. David Pinkham as the academy’s new commandant.
“In this role, he will oversee the selection of teaching staff for the upcoming Recruit Training Troop,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The department added that it is in the process of seeking an independent assessment of its academy, focusing on areas including training methods, attrition and injury rates, injury prevention, fitness standards, organizational culture, leadership and alignment with national standards.
“Additionally, the Massachusetts State Police is implementing a pilot program to bifurcate this year’s class of recruits, a change designed to enhance training and operational efficiency,” the spokesperson added. “Instead of a large single class, recruits will be divided into two smaller cohorts, with one beginning in May and another in October.”
Massachusetts
How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?
With a widening conflict in the Middle East after the American and Israeli attack on Iran Saturday, global markets are bracing for a shakeup in the energy supply chain.
So, here at home, what can consumers expect at the gas pump?
An increase in oil prices is almost always followed by an increase in gas prices. And the oil market has already reacted to the war. NBC News reported on Sunday that U.S. crude oil initially spiked more than 10%, while Brent, the international oil benchmark, rose as much as 13%.
Early Monday morning, reports were coming in of black smoke rising from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City.
While Iran’s oil reserves supply less than an estimated 5% of global production, the main concern is the Strait of Hormuz. This maritime passageway borders Iran at the bottleneck of the Persian Gulf, and more than 20% of the world’s oil passes through. If Iran closes or restricts Hormuz, the oil market could face severe disruptions.
Gas prices rise about 2.5 cents for every dollar increase in crude oil prices. As of Sunday, U.S. crude oil prices had already increased by nearly $5 a barrel.
“I fully expect that by Monday night, you could credibly say that gas prices are being impacted by oil prices having gone up,” GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told NBC News.
GasBuddy characterizes their expectations for price increases as “incremental” rather than “explosive”. The group said to anticipate a potential 10-15 cent increase over the next couple of weeks.
Massachusetts
Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News
EASTON, Mass. (WBZ) — Police body camera video shows an Easton, Massachusetts, officer rescuing a 78-year-old Raynham man from a burning car on Friday morning.
A Mack dump truck was experiencing problems on the side of Turnpike Street just after 2 a.m. when a Ford pickup truck struck the back of it, according to police.
The pickup truck then became stuck under the dump truck, trapping the driver, Francis Leverone, inside. A Toyota Camry then hit the back of the pickup truck and caught fire, police said.
Easton police officer Dean Soucie arrived at the crash and saw that the two vehicles were on fire. Video shows Soucie rushing over before breaking the driver’s side window and then, with the help of the two witnesses, freeing Leverone from the pickup truck. Soucie said he was confused but conscious.
“As I reached inside the vehicle, one of the passersby — he actually jumped into the cab of the truck, and he helped me free the individual,” Soucie said.
They then carried the driver to safety.
Leverone was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a Boston hospital. He received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.
No one else was injured in the crash.
Dee Leverone told WBZ her husband is doing OK. “I’m just thankful for the people that got him out,” she said. “Very thankful.”
After watching the police body-cam video on the news she said, “I was shocked, I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I just couldn’t believe it. His truck is like melted.”
She says she realized that something was wrong last night when her husband never made it home from work.
“I kept trying to call him and call him, and I finally got a hold of him at like 4:30 a.m., and he was at (Good Samaritan Hospital) and he told me he’s gotten in an accident,” Dee said.
She says he’s recovering at the Boston Medical Center and being treated for a dislocated hip.
“He’s a trooper,” Dee said. “He’s a strong man — and you know he’s 78, but you know he’s a toughie. He definitely is a toughie.”
Soucie commended the help of the two witnesses and said that before he arrived at the crash, they had attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher and removed a gasoline tank from the pickup truck before it could ignite.
“They jumped into action like it was nothing,” Soucie said. “Those two individuals were absolutely awesome.”
Easton Police Chief Keith Boone said that he is “extremely proud” of Soucie and the witnesses.
“He saved a life last night,” Chief Boone said. “He is an exemplary police officer and this is just one example. I think he’s a hero.”
Turnpike Street was closed for several hours following the crash. Easton Police are investigating.
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Massachusetts
Crews battle fire at Townsend home
A fire broke out Sunday morning in Townsend, Massachusetts.
The Townsend Fire department said shortly before 7 a.m. that firefighters were on scene for a structure fire on Dudley Road.
People have been asked to avoid the area.
The Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said state police fire investigators assigned to the state fire marshal’s office are responding to assist the Townsend Fire Department.
There was no immediate word on any injuries, or any information on what caused the fire. It’s also unclear if the large snow piles in the area impeded access to fire hydrants, as was the case at the house explosion in Taunton last week.
This developing story will be updated when we learn more
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