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6-year-old boy drowns in Port St. Lucie

Posted at 5:08 PM, May 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-25 06:49:44-04

Port St. Lucie Police are investigating the drowning of a 6-year-old boy Wednesday afternoon at the Peacock Run Apartments neighborhood pool.

The boy has been identified as Guyverson Perrie-Charles.

Police say the boy was at the pool with his 14-year-old brother.

“The last time the brother, the 14-year-old, saw him he was outside of the pool. He wasn’t even in the pool,” said Master Sergeant Frank Sabol.

Sabol describes about a dozen children, if not more, were playing in the shallow end, without adult supervision.

“It was early release from school today, so there were a lot of kids at the pool.”

Eventually, the boy’s brother looked toward the deep end of the pool and saw Guyverson unresponsive.

Sable says the brother grabbed the boy from the pool.

The children started making a commotion that drew the attention of adults outside the pool area.

“There were adults right around the corner by the clubhouse and they immediately went over there, started CPR, working on him as they called police and fire rescue.”

The boy was rushed to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Police do not know how long the boy was underwater before he was found.

Pool rules say anyone under 14-years-old must be at the pool with an adult.

“His brother is devastated over it because he had told him not to go into the deep end, and actually to go home.”

Sabol is warning families to be careful.

“It’s always, I can’t stress it enough, important to have a guardian watching over the children when they are playing and going into the pool, because they can take action right away.”

Counselor’s at the boy’s St. Lucie County school say grief counselors will be available.

A school employee said the boy graduated from Kindergarten this week.