Inset: Adonis Jackson. Background: The University of the District of Columbia campus where Adonis Jackson was attending Nike Soccer Camp when he almost drowned, his family says (WTTG/YouTube).
A lifeguard in Washington, D.C., decided to go for a bite to eat when he was supposed to be watching more than two dozen kids swimming in his pool, resulting in one child nearly drowning, police and a lawyer say.
Adonis Jackson, 6, survived the ordeal, local ABC affiliate WJLA reported, but his family members say he faces a long recovery — and they have questions about how the situation unfolded.
"Approximately 30 children were in the swimming pool," a police report alleges about the incident at the University of the District of Columbia, where a Nike Soccer Camp was being held. UDC Police say the children were attending the camp and allowed to go swimming at the end of the day, according to WJLA.
But the lifeguard who was supposed to be on duty decided to step away to eat and was not at the pool watching the kids, according to police.
"A child was unresponsive at the bottom of the pool," the police report recounts.
"I copy a 6-year-old male near drowning," a 911 dispatcher can be heard saying in audio obtained by WJLA. "Cardiac arrest, CPR in progress."
The dispatcher asked, "How long was he in the water and how long was CPR conducted?"
Attorney Dominique Calhoun, who represents the Jackson family, told WJLA that the child was in the water for more than two minutes.
"To be underwater for that long, to have your brain deprived of oxygen, to have your body withheld from oxygen for that long, can have lifelong lasting impacts," Calhoun said. He told local Fox affiliate WTTG that Adonis' mother "received a call" after the incident from a counselor at the camp who told her, "Hey, Adonis has guzzled some water," which had her thinking "it was something benign and nothing really severe," the lawyer said.
"[The mom] stated, 'Hey, I'll come and pick him up,'" Calhoun recalled. "And that's when the counselor said, 'Well, we're going to take him to the hospital for further review.' It wasn't until the moment that she gets to the hospital that she learned how devastating this could have been."
"How do we get from a soccer camp to a drowning?" Calhoun added, according to WTTG.
In a statement sent to WTTG, the group that runs the camp — U.S. Sports Camps — said, "We are aware of the incident at the camp held at the University of the District of Columbia, and our thoughts are with the child and their family. This camp is operated by Four Soccer, an independent camp operator, and we are in contact with them as they and the appropriate authorities review what occurred. We are not able to comment on specifics at this time."
Police have not yet made any arrests related to the incident.
"Right now, the doctors are closely monitoring his vitals," Calhoun told WJLA about Adonis. "He is currently sedated, he's intubated, he's had some minor activity, which we're thankful to God for."
WTTG reported that Adonis' family believes he has a long recovery ahead.
The boy's family is working to determine its next steps, Calhoun added, in hopes of holding people at the camp "accountable."