The family of an Arlington police recruit is remembering him as a beloved father and husband who was determined to reach his goal of becoming a police officer.
Marquis Kennedy, 40, died Sunday, two days after Arlington police said he collapsed during a training exercise. Kennedy was part of the Academy Class 62, which was set to finish in March.
“I can tell you, our department is hurting. Our recruits and our training center is hurting,” said Sgt. Courtney White with the Arlington Police Department.
White, a spokeswoman for Arlington police, said the recruit class was participating in a defensive tactics training course. Each recruit was put through a reality-based scenario to test their application of self-defense tactics, White said.
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“We do this with all of our academy classes to help them prepare for real-life situations that they may encounter as officers,” she said.
This was not the recruiting class’s first physically demanding course, which began training in July. During training Friday, Kennedy was not feeling well and was removed from the course to sit with a member of the training staff.
He later collapsed and CPR was performed until emergency responders arrived and rushed him to the hospital, according to Arlington police. He died early Sunday morning, and the exact cause of death has not been determined.
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Despite his short with the department, White said Kennedy made an impact.
“He was kind and patient,” White said, as she read a statement from his fellow recruits. “He consistently brought happiness to the class and was always optimistic.”
Kennedy’s wife Brittney said her husband wanted to be a police officer since they first met. He returned to school at the age of 28 to pursue his associate's and bachelor's degrees and recently graduated with a Master's degree, she said.
“As a young Black man from the east side of Detroit, he often questioned whether he belonged in the room that he shined in and the opportunities he fought for,” she said. “But no one was more deserving than Marquis.”
While the training was demanding, Kennedy said her husband was determined to finish.
“He was like, 'there’s nothing else I want to do. There’s no way I can get kicked out of the academy or anything.' He was driven by getting through this academy,” she said. “There was nothing prouder besides being a father and a husband, that he was…besides being a police officer or attaining to become a police officer.”
As Kennedy’s family searches for answers behind his death, they are asking for transparency from the Arlington Police Department.
Funeral arrangements are pending.
