Mom speaks after 9-year-old son dies while swimming at summer camp

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT/Gray News) – A 9-year-old boy died Monday afternoon at Swim RVA’s summer camp.

Police were called for a medical emergency at the camp about 2:30 p.m.

Camp staff pulled him from the pool and immediately began CPR and lifesaving measures until first responders took over. The boy was rushed to the hospital, where he died.

The chief medical examiner is working to determine the exact cause of death.

LaTaisha Johnson shared photos of her son, King, with 12 On Your Side, but said she is not ready to talk publicly. She said King was small, but his heart was larger than life.

“King was our everything,” Johnson said in a social media post. “He was the love of our lives our heart our joy and our reason for so much. The pain we are feeling right now is unbearable and there are no words that can truly describe what we’re going through.”

Johnson said she remembers exactly when she last told her son she loved him — 8:17 a.m. Monday.

Swim RVA closed the camp location out of respect for King and his family. The organization is keeping the location closed through the end of the week and plans to offer grief counseling.

Officer Mike Pfister with Henrico police said parents should talk to their children about pool safety.

“Just sit down and have the conversation with your kids about some pool safety and maybe some things that they could employ while they’re in the water, flotation devices, safety standards, stuff like that,” Pfister said.

“And if some of those things aren’t met, if they get to the pool and there is no lifeguard and they don’t feel comfortable about swimming or if there is no other adult and they don’t feel comfortable about swimming or being in the water, just go over some ground rules and just make sure that they understand, hey, look, maybe today isn’t the best time to swim.”

Pfister said responding to a call like this is devastating and hopes it serves as a reminder of how important pool safety is.

“That is understandable. It’s one of those things as a parent, you want to make sure your kids are safe,” Pfister said. “You want to make sure that they’re also educated, but take the time and talk to them. Sit down with them and explain to them pool safety rules.”