Where Are the Records? Rhode Island DPS Delays Public Records Request in the Death of Recruit Kyron Lopes

Rhode Island Capitol Police recruit Kyron Derek Lopes was only 27 years old.

On December 23, 2025, Kyron was transported by ambulance from a Capitol Police training exercise to Rhode Island Hospital. Two days later, on Christmas Day, he died.

His family has said they were initially told this was a “panic attack” during training. But the questions surrounding Kyron’s death have not gone away. In fact, the more his family has shared, the more serious those questions have become.

According to Kyron’s mother, Annette, the explanation that this was simply a panic attack does not match what she says she learned from Rhode Island Hospital and Kyron’s medical records. When I spoke with Annette, she told me Kyron had asthma, but doctors told her his lungs were fine. She said doctors described blood on the brain, organ failure, brain swelling, leg swelling, and injuries that she believes do not align with the idea that this was only a panic attack.

She also told me Kyron’s last words were: “I’m dying. I’m dying. I’m dying.”

Those words should haunt every official involved in this case.

Months later, the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office and Rhode Island State Police announced that the investigation into Kyron’s death had been closed and that no criminal charges would be filed. But the public still does not have the full picture.

What exactly happened during that training exercise? Who was present? What was Kyron doing before he was transported to the hospital? Why was this initially described as a panic attack? Was this ever treated as a possible training injury? Was an outside or independent investigation ever seriously considered?

What policies, safety protocols, medical response procedures, and recruit training standards were in place that day?

These are not unreasonable questions. These are basic questions.

After months of pushing for answers, the Rhode Island Department of Public Safety has finally acknowledged my public records request regarding Kyron Lopes. But let’s be clear: this response is not transparency.

The response does not produce a single record. No incident report. No investigative report. No communications. No 911 calls. No dispatch logs. No witness statements. No video or audio. No training policies. No medical response records. No explanation of what records exist. No explanation of what records may be withheld.

Instead, the Department of Public Safety says it needs another 20 business days because of “difficulty of search/retrieval,” because it had to reach out to another department within DPS, and because it has more than 35 other pending public records requests.

That is not good enough.

This is not a routine paperwork issue. This involves the death of a young recruit during a state law enforcement training process. Kyron’s mother deserves answers. Kyron’s family deserves answers. The public deserves answers.

If the Department of Public Safety needs more time to review certain investigative materials, then say that clearly. But why has nothing been released? Why not release the records that should be easy to locate?

Training policies should not be hard to find. Recruit training standards should not be hard to find. Medical response procedures should not be hard to find. Documents showing who was present should not be hard to find. Records showing how this incident was initially classified should not be hard to find.

At the very least, DPS should immediately release any non-exempt records that can be produced now while continuing to review the rest. Delaying everything, producing nothing, and hiding behind vague bureaucratic language only raises more concerns.

This is exactly why public records laws exist.

The government cannot simply announce that an investigation is closed, say no charges will be filed, and then expect the family and the public to accept silence. There needs to be documentation. There needs to be accountability. There needs to be transparency.

I am not accusing anyone of a crime. I am asking for the records. I am asking for the timeline. I am asking for the policies. I am asking for the communications. I am asking for the truth about what happened to Kyron Lopes.

Because right now, the official response is delay, not disclosure.

And that is not acceptable.

If there is nothing to hide, release the records.