At Tuffly Park in Houston, a 16-year-old boy drowned in the city’s public pool. However, this drowning didn’t occur during a day of sun and fun at the pool, in reality, this pool was already closed for the season.
According to Fox 26 Houston, “Officials said prior to the drowning, the teen and a group of friends hopped the fence surrounding the perimeter of the pool. The pool was closed to the public for the season following Labor Day Weekend.”
The police say the teenager went down a slide at the facility into eight or nine feet of water, and he could not swim back up to the surface.
Neighbors quickly called first responders, who took the boy to Memorial Hermann Hospital where he later died.
Related: Child Drowns After Sneaking Into Closed Community Pool
"Honestly, people just need to keep an eye on their kids and keep track of what they are doing," said Edmond Bell, who lives in the neighborhood surrounding the pool.
Many other neighbors told Fox 26 Houston what they saw that day, including some teenagers screaming, calling for help. One neighbor reportedly jumped the fence himself to help get the teenager out of the water.
Police and the city of Houston are investigating the security at the the pool that allowed this tragic event to take place. The event is strikingly similar to the drowning of another boy earlier this summer. As AB reported, an 11-year-old boy scaled the fence of a public pool in Toledo, Ohio.
Roosevelt Pool was closed that day for routine maintenance when the boy entered the water and drowned. Toledo Parks and Rec did not reopen that pool for the remainder of the season.
Now, officials in Houston have similar problems to face. There are questions of security and safety surrounding closed pools. They have not released a statement at this time.
