A Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) cadet passed away on July 19 in Baton Rouge.
Cadet Immanuel Washington, 38, of Youngsville, passed away at Ochsner Medical Center in Baton Rouge on July 19, a day after being rushed to the hospital.
"Our hearts are broken by this tragedy," said Jack Montoucet, secretary of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. "The whole Wildlife and Fisheries family offer our prayers for his wife, his children, his family and friends. From the accounts I received, Mr. Washington was an excellent cadet and an even better person. This is a loss for Louisiana."
Washington was in the third week of his training to become an LDWF Enforcement Division Agent at the LDWF Training Academy located off N. Flannery Road in Baton Rouge. After completing a two-and-a-half mile run on the morning of July 18, the cadets were in the cool down period of their physical training when Washington collapsed to the ground.
Training agents immediately called for an ambulance and began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on Washington. Agents continued CPR until the ambulance arrived to take him to Ochsner Medical Center. Once at the hospital, Washington was placed on life support in the intensive care unit until his passing on the morning of July 19.
"All of our thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Washington's family at this point. This is a very sad time for his family, the agents and the cadets that came to know him during his training," said Col. Sammy Martin, head of the enforcement division. "From everything I've heard about this man his dream was to become a Wildlife and Fisheries agent. We were very happy to hire him and believe he would have made a great agent."
Washington's body was turned over to the East Baton Rouge Parish Coroner's Office to determine an official cause of death. He is survived by his wife, a three-year-old-son and a one-year-old daughter.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is charged with managing and protecting Louisiana's abundant natural resources. For more information, visit us at www.wlf.la.gov.