Mom demands answers after 9-year-old son, King Overton, Henrico County boy dies on his first day of swimming lessons at summer camp, Swim RVA in Chamberlayne, Virginia.
A 9-year-old boy died on his first day learning to swim at a Virginia summer camp as the boy’s mother now demands answers and accountability.
King Overton, was unresponsive when he was pulled from a pool at Swim RVA in Chamberlayne and given CPR at around 2:30 p.m Monday, according to Henrico County Police and camp staffers.
He was rushed to the hospital, where he died, NBC’s Channel 12 reported.
Virginia mom searches for answers after 9-year-old-son’s drowning death
‘I’m devastated. I’m numb. I’m starting to get mad. It’s just a bunch of emotions all built at once,’ the boy’s mother, LaTaisha Johnson said of her son’s death Thursday.
‘He was the smallest person who was like the biggest personality. And he loved to joke. He was just… he was great,’ Johnson told the outlet. ‘He was my best friend, he was really my best friend.’
The mom said her son was excited to learn to swim when she dropped him off at the camp Monday morning.
Johnson recalled the 9-year-old’s final words as she said goodbye to him on his first day, according to WRIC.com.
‘My baby turned around and said, ‘OK mom, love you.’ I said, ‘I love you the most. Have a good day’ I turned around, I walked out, and that was the last time I seen my son alive,’ she said.
What led up to 9-year-old boy drowning at Virginia summer camp?
The exact circumstances surrounding King’s death continue to remain under investigation.
‘I don’t know anything,’ the distressed mom told the outlet. ‘I just know they found my baby at the bottom of a pool.’
Officials have yet to say whether charges will be brought against supervisors or what culpability the summer camp may now bear.
In the wake of Overton’s death, relatives launched a GoFundMe campaign titled ‘Home going service for King O’ to assist with memorial and burial expenses. The organizer wrote that the family is ‘heartbroken’ by the loss and is asking the community for prayers and financial support.
SwimRVA’s camp has been cancelled for the rest of the week in the wake of the tragedy.
