Officials have identified a 21-year-old cadet who died at the Air Force Academy on Thursday.
The death of Cadet 1st Class Alexandre Quiros remains under investigation, and the military academy is saying little about what happened.
Quiros, a senior from Colorado Springs, was assigned to Cadet Squadron 31.
He in his room in Sijan Hall.
Quiros was pronounced dead at 3:43 p.m. at the scene, according to a statement from the academy’s public affairs office.
In the hours after the death, the academy said it was ensuring that all cadets and personnel were safe.
“The safety and well-being of our cadets and staff is my top concern,” Lt. Gen. Michelle Johnson, the academy superintendent, said in a statement.
“We are taking the appropriate precautionary actions to ensure the safety and security of everyone at the academy.”
The cause of the cadet’s death has not been determined. Sijan Hall is a dormitory and is in a secure area of the campus.
“We’re not ruling anything out,” said John Van Winkle, an academy spokesman.
Classes were not canceled Friday, but grief counseling was available to cadets.
Quiros was a senior majoring in astronautical engineering, according to the academy.
He made the dean’s list (grade-point average of 3.0 or higher) and Commandant’s List (cadets with military performance averages of 3.0 or higher) multiple times.
He was one of 12 cadets named an Ambassador of Inclusion, a pilot cultural immersion program, in 2013.
Funeral arrangements are underway.
“Our deepest sympathies and sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of Cadet Quiros,” Johnson said in a statement.
“Yesterday, we lost a member of our Air Force Academy family, and it’s a loss felt across our entire institution.”
Quiros’ death is being investigated by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations.
This is the second death of an academy cadet this year. John Lindsey, a freshman, died in a skiing accident in January.
Noelle Phillips: 303-954-1661, nphillips@denverpost.com or twitter.com/Noelle_Phillips
