NO JUSTICE FOR KYRON LOPES: Rhode Island AG Office Closes Case Without an Independent Investigation

This is NOT justice.

Rhode Island officials have now announced that no criminal charges will be filed in the death of Rhode Island Capitol Police recruit Kyron Derek Lopes, and that alone should outrage every person who cares about transparency and accountability. NBC 10 reported that the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office and Rhode Island State Police said the investigation is closed, with no charges being brought. (WJAR)

Kyron was only 27 years old. He was from Providence. He was pursuing a career in law enforcement. According to his mother, Annette Lopes, Kyron was a hardworking, respectful, community-centered young man who played sports, worked since he was young, stayed out of trouble, and was trying to build a better future for himself. In your prior notes, Annette described him as someone who had “traded the pads in for a badge” and was on the right path.

On December 23, 2025, Kyron was rushed to the hospital after a Rhode Island Capitol Police training exercise. His parents, Annette Lopes and Derek Hazard, told NBC 10 they were originally told their son suffered a “panic attack” during training. But that explanation has never sat right with this family. NBC 10 also reported that State Police have still not publicly released the circumstances surrounding that medical emergency.

And that is the problem.

According to Annette when I spoke with her, Kyron had asthma, but she says doctors told her his lungs were fine. She says doctors described blood on the brain, organ failure, brain swelling, leg swelling, and injuries that did not match the idea that this was simply a panic attack. She also says Kyron’s last words were: “I’m dying. I’m dying. I’m dying.”

So how does a healthy young man walk into training and end up dead two days later — and the public still does not get a full explanation?

Where is the transparency?

Where is the accountability?

Where is the independent investigation?

This should have been taken out of the hands of Rhode Island State Police immediately. Attorney General Peter Neronha should have called for an outside, independent investigation from day one. Instead, the same state system tied to law enforcement was allowed to control the investigation into a law enforcement training death.

That is unacceptable.

And this is exactly why the comparison to Enrique Delgado-Garcia matters. In Massachusetts, after Enrique died following a State Police Academy boxing training exercise, the Attorney General’s Office brought in independent investigator David Meier, and that investigation led to indictments against multiple Massachusetts State Police officials. NBC Boston reported that Meier was appointed as an independent investigator, and GBH reported that the investigation lasted nearly 17 months before charges were filed.

That is what Kyron deserved. Not silence. Not delay. Not a closed investigation with no public answers.

So again I ask:

What happened inside that training room?
Who was present?
Who was supervising?
Was there video?
Why was the family told “panic attack”?
Why wasn’t this independently investigated like the Enrique Delgado-Garcia case?

Kyron Lopes’ family deserves more than a closed case and a press release. They deserve the truth, transparency, accountability, and Kyron deserves justice.

Justice for Kyron Lopes.