Full police honors as Enrique Delgado-Garcia is laid to rest in Worcester

WORCESTER ― Enrique Delgado-Garcia never got a chance to participate in the full pomp and circumstance associated with becoming a state police trooper. He was a month away from graduating from the state police academy when he died after falling unconscious during a training exercise on Sept. 12.

Delgado-Garcia, 25, got a full send-off on Saturday, with hundreds of mourners in attendance for a ceremony outside Mercadante Funeral Home & Chapel, before Delgado-Garcia was brought to Notre Dame Cemetery to be laid to rest.

The early morning fog around Worcester lifted as the ceremony began and Delgado-Garcia's flag-draped casket was wheeled outside, with more than 100 police officers in honor guards standing at attention. Friends and family watched as the Massachusetts State Police Pipes and Drums played Amazing Grace, and the American flag was ceremonially folded and handed to Delgado-Garcia's immediate family.

"He genuinely wanted to make a difference," Caroline Root, a friend of Delgado-Garcia's, said after the ceremony. "It is an incredible loss for his friends, his family, but also for our entire community and the world."

Delgado-Garcia was born in Puerto Rico and moved to Worcester as a child, eventually graduating from North High School in 2017. He went on to graduate from Westfield State University with a degree in criminal justice, and worked for the Worcester County District Attorney's office as a victim's advocate before being recruited to join the Massachusetts State Police. He began training as part of its 90th Recruit Training Troop in April.

More: State police recruits, classmates of Enrique Delgado-Garcia, among mourners at Worcester wake

According to officials, Delgado-Garcia was taking part in a self-defense training exercise that involved boxing at the state police training headquarters in New Braintree, when he fell unconscious. After receiving treatment at the scene, Delgado-Garcia was transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, where he died on Sept. 13.

The procession for the funeral featured a motorcade of state police motorcycle patrolmen, as well as officers on horseback. During the ceremony, a flyover was done by the state police helicopter, honoring a cadet who was only a few weeks away from serving.

"Enrique was a joy. He was the best hugger — even the first time I met him, he gave me the biggest hug," said Mary Hart, a friend of Delgado-Garcia's. "He was here to love and be loved."

Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced on Monday that a Boston lawyer, David Meier , would be heading up the investigation into Delgado-Garcia's death.

More: AG puts Boston lawyer in charge of inquiry into death of recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia

Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. withdrew from the case, given that Delgado-Garcia had previously worked in Early's office.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Full police honors as Enrique Delgado-Garcia is laid to rest in Worcester