10-year-old drowns in public pool as brother tries to save him, Indiana reports say

A 10-year-old boy drowned in a public pool while spending Fourth of July with his siblings and grandmother, Indiana media reports say.

Kymani Emmanuel Collier went under water at Nappanee Public Pool around 4:45 p.m. Tuesday, according to WNDU. Police told the station that lifeguards performed CPR on the child.

His 9-year-old brother, Keyon, made the first attempt to save Kymani.

“Keyon was yelling for help, and nobody could hear him, or nobody was listening to him,” their mother, Shauna Collier, told WBND. “He jumped in and tried to save him, and he couldn’t.”

Collier, who had dropped off her kids with their grandma, said she received “the worst phone call of my life” when she learned her son had drowned, WBND reported.

Kymani died at a hospital Wednesday morning, according to WSBT.

He was just days away from turning 11 years old, a GoFundMe says.

“He was the most energetic, life of the party kind of person,” his aunt, Sara Ladig, told WNDU. “There wasn’t a single time I think I’ve ever seen where he was in a bad mood.”

Kymani was set to attend Goshen Intermediate School in the fall, Goshen Community Schools said in a statement. He was described as a “bright and energetic student.”

“Kymani loved making friends with his classmates in Mr. Parga’s room and participating in many different activities with them at recess,” Todd Williams, the principal of Kymani’s former school, said in a statement.

Nappanee is about 150 miles north of Indianapolis.

This story was originally published July 6, 2023 at 11:07 AM with the headline "10-year-old drowns in public pool as brother tries to save him, Indiana reports say."