High School Basketball Coaches Charged With Murder After Player Collapses
Written by SOURCE on August 12, 2021
Two high school basketball coaches have been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a 16-year-old girl who collapsed during practice, NBC News reports
Larosa Maria Walker-Asekere and Dwight Broom Palmer are facing charges of second-degree murder, second-degree child cruelty, involuntary manslaughter, and reckless conduct. A Clayton County grand jury returned an indictment charging the two, who were deemed responsible for the August 2019 death of 16-year-old Imani Bell.
The girl collapsed as temperatures reached the high ‘90s, with a medical examiner finding that she suffered from a heart attack due to the extreme heat, which also resulted in her getting hyperthermia and rhabdomyolysis. She was taken to the hospital after collapsing, but died later that evening.
Walker-Asekere was the head basketball coach at Elite Scholars Academy at the time of the practice, and Palmer was an assistant, family attorney Justin Miller said. They were both present and in charge of the children at the practice at the time Bell collapsed.
“The incident in question did not have to happen,” said Miller. Per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Imani’s father, Eric Bell, called the news a “bittersweet day for the family.” He added, “My wife’s birthday was a couple of days ago. Imani’s death day is August 13. It’s just a time of grieving.”
