Two basketball coaches from Georgia were charged with the murder of a 16-year-old girl who died after training outdoors in extreme heat.
Larosa Maria Walker-Asekere and Dwight Broom Palmer are charged with second-degree murder, second-degree child abuse, manslaughter and criminal negligence.
The charges relate to the August 2019 death of Imani Bell: an Elite Scholars Academy student , who died after training members of the women's basketball team outdoors in temperatures reaching 90 degrees.
According to the lawyer of the family of the deceased, Justin Miller, Walker-Asekere was the head basketball coach, and Palmer was an assistant. Both attended the training session and were in charge of the children, he told The Associated Press.
At a press conference on Wednesday, the family and lawyers thanked the district attorney for the indictment.
“The incident in question should not have happened in principle,” Miller said.
In February, the Bell family filed wrongful death lawsuit against school officials, reporting that Bell passed out during training after running up the steps of a football stadium.
The lawsuit says Bell was taken to hospital and died of cardiac arrest and kidney failure associated with heat.
Chris Stewart, another lawyer for the family, said at a February press conference that a heat warning was in effect during training and the weather forecast warned that due with the weather, outdoor activities should be limited.
“Every day we learn to live with the loss of our daughter,” said the girl’s mother, Dorian Bell, at a press conference.
“We're just we want to put an end to this whole situation. «
It is unclear whether they work are there still trainers at Elite Scholars Academy.
