PULASKI COUNTY, Va. – No charges will be filed in a tragic incident where a 5-year-old boy passed away after drowning at the Pulaski County YMCA, according to special prosecutor W. Wesley Nance.
This is due to the fact that investigators have determined that the child’s death was not an intentional act.
This news comes after members of the Pulaski Police Department, Pulaski Fire Department, and Pulaski County Public Safety were called to the Pulaski County YMCA for the reported drowning on Dec. 6, 2021, at about 2:30 p.m.
When employees discovered Auston Wingo motionless in the deep end of the pool, they retrieved him from the pool and immediately began life-saving measures.
Once officers arrived at the scene, the young boy was still unresponsive and transported to Lewis Gale Pulaski. Later that same night, he was airlifted to Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
According to officials, Wingo died at about 10:15 p.m. The medical examiner confirmed that the cause of death was drowning.
Officials say at the time of the incident, there was a lifeguard in charge of observing the entire pool while one adult employee was responsible for watching the shallow end of the pool and another watching the deep end.
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There were 38 children in the pool that day, which officials say was more than usual given that it was a virtual learning day at Pulaski County Schools. A non-employee who was watching their own child swim told officials that employees were paying close attention to the children and a lifeguard routinely blew her whistle to correct children who were playing in the pool.
During the course of their investigation, officials determined that there was “no evidence of criminal negligence to support criminal charges.” Nonetheless, this does not conclude the legal evaluation of the incident.
See our previous reporting below: