LAPD officer dies in training exercise in Huntington Beach, police say

A Los Angeles Police Department officer died during a training exercise in Huntington Beach on Thursday, officials said.

The death may have involved dive training in a pool, according to radio traffic captured during the incident.

The officer, Thomas Denton, served in the department’s Metropolitan Division, police said.

“Today, we honor Officer Denton’s lasting legacy to the people of Los Angeles,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement Friday announcing that flags at the State Capitol and Capitol Annex Swing Space would be flown at half-mast. “Jennifer and I deeply mourn his loss and our thoughts are with his family, friends, and colleagues. May he be remembered for his dedication and honorable service.”

Denton was 46 years old and is survived by his wife and two children, the Governor’s Office said.

Few details were released about the circumstances of Denton’s death, but the Huntington Beach Fire Department said it responded to a call around 11 a.m. in the 17000 block of Crown Circle for a medical emergency and took an individual to a hospital, who later died.

At 11:04 a.m. on Thursday, a firefighter and a dispatcher from Huntington Beach discussed the response to the call. The dispatcher informed Battalion 4 that the incident was a “drowning” of a 46-year-old male “dive training in the pool” and that “CPR was in progress.” At 11:24, a firefighter informed the dispatcher that the man would be transported to the hospital.

The coroner’s office has Denton’s body and plans to perform a full autopsy, said Sgt. Lisbeth Gwisdalla, an Orange County Sheriff’s Department spokesperson.

According to a 2008 statement, Denton was involved in a fatal shooting that year when a suspect lunged at him and another officer with a knife while they were working a narcotics case. Both officers shot the suspect, 56-year-old Jesse Moore, and killed him. Denton had been hired by the department about two years earlier.