The Vermont State Police have identified an officer who died during a training exercise Thursday as Trooper Kyle Young of Monkton.
Young collapsed due to a medical event while training at the Ethan Allen Firing Range in Jericho, police said. He was transported to the University of Vermont Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
The cause of Young’s death has not yet been released.
“A tragedy such as this is difficult to fathom, and I stand with Kyle’s family as they come to grips with his loss,” Commissioner of Public Safety Keith Flynn said in a statement Friday. “I also strongly support Kyle’s second family, the Vermont State Police. In times of tragedy, this organization of professionals pulls together to support each other. Kyle will forever be a part of that family, one of the best law enforcement organizations in the country.”
Young, 28, lived in Monkton with his partner and children, according to a news release from the state police Friday. He grew up in Watertown, New York.
Young joined the Vermont State Police in January 2014 and worked out of the New Haven barracks.
Col. Matt Birmingham, who leads the Vermont State Police, extended sympathies to Young’s family and coworkers in a statement Friday.
Gov. Peter Shumlin said in a statement Friday that he will order flags to be flown at half-staff for three days beginning on the day of Young’s funeral.
“Trooper Kyle Young was a dedicated police officer and Vermonter who joined the State Police to make our state a better place,” Shumlin said in a statement Friday. “To lose him in service to Vermont is truly tragic. The Vermont State Police are an incredibly tight-knit family, and I know this loss has hit them hard. My thoughts are with Trooper Young’s family and friends and the entire State Police family.”
Funeral arrangements are underway. Young’s body will be transported to Watertown, where his family lives, according to the release.
