Coaches charged with murder after Georgia teen dies at basketball practice, police say
Two coaches have been charged with murder in the death of a 16-year-old Georgia student and basketball player, multiple outlets report.
A Clayton County grand jury indicted the pair in early July, nearly two years after Imani Bell’s parents say she was forced to perform basketball conditioning drills in extreme heat, according to the county court’s indictments.
Bell, a junior at Elite Scholars Academy in Jonesboro, collapsed and died after sprinting up the football stadium steps as part of the team’s mandatory drills on Aug. 13, 2019, WGCL reported, citing a wrongful death suit filed by the teen’s family earlier this year. The indictment accuses coaches Larosa Maria Walker-Asekere and Dwight Broom Palmer of causing “excessive physical pain by conducting outdoor conditioning training for student athletes in dangerous heat.”
Both are charged with second-degree murder, cruelty to children, involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, court records show.
A search of the county’s cases shows bench warrants were issued for Palmer and Walker-Askere on July 8. It’s unclear if either has been arrested, however.
Bell’s family named the coaches as defendants and also sued the athletic director, principal, assistant principal and other leadership at Elite Scholars Academy, accusing them of negligence in her death, WSB-TV reported. An autopsy from 2019 concluded Bell died from hyperthermia and rhabdomyolysis after she was forced to run drills in the August heat.
Temperatures reached into the mid-90s that day, Bell’s family said, according to WXIA, putting the heat index above 100 degrees.
“Imani began experiencing early signs of heat illness and was visibly struggling to physically perform the outdoor conditioning drills defendants directed her to perform,” the lawsuit reads, the news station reported. “Defendants observed Imani experiencing early signs of heat illness during the outdoor practice but nevertheless directed Imani to continue performing the conditioning drills with her team.”
The teen’s family said she didn’t suffer from any underlying medical conditions/, according to WXIA/.
It’s unclear if Palmer and Walker-Askere are still employed by the Clayton County school district. McClatchy News reached out to confirm Tuesday and is awaiting a response.
This story was originally published August 10, 2021 at 4:42 PM with the headline "Coaches charged with murder after Georgia teen dies at basketball practice, police say."