DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A 25-year-old rookie Daytona Beach police officer who collapsed during physical training in May died of natural causes, according to the medical examiner.
The Office of the Medical Examiner in Daytona Beach said Thomas Coulter suffered acute myocardial infarction, the clinical term for a heart attack.
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Coulter and 23 other new officers were doing what Daytona Beach Police Chief Craig Capri described as “very light" physical training, jogging and pushups, when Coulter collapsed. He was taken to a hospital, where he later died.
Coulter had no indication of previous health issues and passed every test to become a police officer, Capri said.
“Sometimes, things just happen. You don’t know the reason why," Capri said. "A lot of it is in God’s hand.”
The chief said Coulter had achieved his lifelong goal of becoming a Daytona Beach police officer.
Coulter had recently married his high school sweetheart.
“He’ll always be a part of this police department," Capri said.