DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- The Daytona Beach Police Department is trying to cope with the loss of one of its own who died Monday morning after physical training.

  • Thomas Coulter died Monday, days after physical training
  • He fell ill during training exercise Friday, taken to hospital
  • It was his lifelong dream to be a police officer, chief says

Thomas Coulter, 25, had participated in the training Friday morning but collapsed after Chief Craig Capril said they were doing light exercise outside the police department.

The chief said Coulter only got about half way into a 30-minute workout 

He was conscious when taken to a hospital, but throughout the weekend, his health declined, police said.

Coulter passed away Monday morning. He had just started his dream job as an officer a week ago and had never hit the streets, Capri said.

"He wanted to be a police officer. That was his life dream since he was a little kid," Capri said. "That was his goal, and he did meet his goal. He obtained that goal because he was a police officer with us.

Coulter spent a year in the academy and was a person who fought hard to accomplish his goals, and passed all of his physical exams.

"That's huge for the family that he was able to serve his community, although it was brief. But he still served," Capri said.

This was the first time this had happened in the department, he said. The training reportedly isn't intense and includes 8 to 10 weeks in the classroom and exercise before they transition out to the streets.

The department is hoping autopsy results will explain what caused Coulter's collapse. But right now, the chief said they're goal is to be there for his family.

"We're not going to be there not just for the coming days and months, but forever," Capri said.

The chief said training will resume Tuesday because the family said that's what they'd like the new police class to do to honor Coulter.

The department has offered counseling to the recruits and gave them time off.

Right now, they're working on making arrangements for a full honors ceremony.