Two Teens Drown at Memphis City Pools On First Official Open Day

Two Memphis teens, one 13-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy drowned in two separate incidents in Memphis city-owned pools on the same day.

Two Memphis teens, one 13-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy drowned in two separate incidents in Memphis city-owned pools on the same day, Saturday, May 31, 2008. Cameron Hogg, the 13-year-old boy, drowned at Pine Hill Community Center while Demavius Bailey, the 15-year-old boy, drowned at Charles Powell Community Center, according to sources.

The drownings actually occurred on the first day of the city pools’ official opening Saturday.

Memphis City Council members sought to find answers in a meeting on Tuesday where parks services director Cindy Buchanan was summoned to attend. Councilman Jim Strickland reportedly called the incidents Saturday ‘unacceptable’.

Tuesday’s City Council meeting was a meeting open to the public and was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. on the fifth floor of City Hall in City Council chambers.

All Memphis public pools were closed Monday (June 2nd) while investigations into the drownings of the two teens carried over the weekend. Investigations are still looking into things such as were there enough lifeguards on duty, how many children were in each pool, did the number of kids exceed the number allowed etc.

Reports on the drownings should be be available by the middle of the week, said Buchanan.