New details emerge after LAPD officer died during dive training in backyard pool

An LAPD officer may have been testing an underwater breathing device when he died during a police training exercise, according to a new report.First responders rushed to a home in Huntington Beach on Thursday at around 11 a.m. after a call about a drowning in a backyard pool. Officer Thomas Denton, a member of LAPD's Metropolitan Division and dive team, was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.Denton may have been testing a device known as a closed-circuit rebreather, which is used by Navy SEALS and other military divers to remain undetected under water, sources told The Los Angeles Times. “Because of the way it was being operated or because of some failure inside the rebreather, it puts too much oxygen in the mix,” David McMurdie, California Recovery Divers co-founder and former chief of Alameda County Sheriff’s Department’s dive team, told the publication. “And because it causes this sort of neurological response, the first signal you have that something’s gone wrong is you go into a seizure and you die because you’re underwater.”LAPD declined to release further details about Denton’s death when approached by the LA Times. The police department and California Division of Occupational Safety and Health are investigating what led up to the accident, which occurred at a private residence rather than a department facility.“The department is in the process of conducting a comprehensive investigation and will make the public aware of its findings at the appropriate time,” LAPD spokesperson Lt. Elpidio Orozco told the publication.The force wrote in a statement last week: “The Los Angeles Police Department mourns the loss of Police Officer-III Thomas Denton of Metropolitan Division, who passed away yesterday during an on-duty training exercise. Officer Denton dedicated his life to serving others and embodied the values of courage, commitment, and sacrifice. We honor his memory and extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fellow officers. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.”Denton had served with the department for 20 years and is survived by his wife and two children, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom who ordered flags at the state Capitol lowered to half-staff in Denton's memory."Today, we honor Officer Denton's lasting legacy to the people of Los Angeles," Newsom said in a statement. "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 served at the Metropolitan Division, "but his heart belong to the Dive Unit,” according to the Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union for LAPD officers."It was more than an assignment. It was his passion, and where he built lifelong friendships with those who shared his love for the work," the union wrote on social media Friday. "His loss leaves a void that will never be filled, but his friendship, dedication and years of service will never be forgotten."