Duty Death: Christopher Murray - [Frisco]
End of Service: 01/12/2016
By Ryan Osborne
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
FRISCO, Texas — A police cadet who suffered a “medical emergency” in his final physical training exercise died Thursday, the Frisco Police Department announced.
Cadet Christopher Murray, 31, the father of a young daughter whose wife was expecting a second child, had been hospitalized since Nov. 16.
Police would not release further details Friday.
On its Facebook page, the department shared a link to a YouCaring fundraising page for Murray, which said he was suffering from Rhabdomyolysis, a condition that breaks down muscle tissue and releases protein into the blood, causing kidney damage.
“Chris had apparently been toughing through the early symptoms, but on Wednesday, November 16th, his final physical test in the Academy pushed his body to the limit,” said the You Caring page, which had raised $30,000 as of Friday afternoon. “When he finished the test, he sat down and unexpectedly passed out because his airways were closing off.”
An MRI this week showed that Murray had significant brain damage, the page said.
Murray started in the Frisco academy in July after working three years as a dispatcher for the city’s fire department.
Rhabdomyolysis can be caused by a number of factors, including traumatic injury and extreme muscle strain, according to WebMD.
In August, eight members of the Texas Woman’s University volleyball team were hospitalized with the condition. Each player recovered.