The Richmond (Ga.) County Commission has unanimously voted to replace the electrical wiring and lighting at an athletic complex where a boy was electrocuted to death in October 2018.
According to the Augusta Fox affiliate, Augusta mayor Hardie Davis called Melquan Robinson, the boy who was electrocuted, "Augusta’s son" before the council voted to make major upgrades to Fleming Athletic Complex.
"This body has decided, and we're going to motion today authorizing the administrator to immediately initiate the process to replace and update the lighting and electrical wiring at the Fleming Athletic Complex," Davis said.
Robinson was trying to climb under a fence to retrieve a football last October. A live wire was touching the fence, and when Robinson grabbed the fence, he was electrocuted. Three other people were also injured in the incident.
The vote to upgrade the Fleming Athletic Complex was a relief to local residents, including Trevonda Kyler, who brings her 15-year-old athlete to the athletic complex every other day.
"I kept him away from all types of different gates that have wires. anything that I might think has faulty wiring or something," Kyler said, adding that she hopes for more transparency around what actually happened to Robinson. "I wish they would release more and just get to the bottom of it and nip it in the bud so the family can be at peace,"
A lawyer for the Robinson family released the following statement on the vote:
We are glad to hear that the City has chosen to address the dangerous conditions at Fleming Athletic Complex. The wiring and lighting issues were known for many years prior to Melquan Robinson’s death. We wish the City would have taken action sooner to avoid this terrible tragedy.
Our law firm independently retained experts on behalf of the family. Our experts participated in the inspection and determined what they believe caused the electrical current to be in that area at that time. However, we have not been told what the City determined to be the cause. Like all concerned citizens, we are expecting the City to release the results of its investigation and fully inform this community as to how this tragic incident happened.
