Two coaches accused of murder in death of basketball player after training

Two basketball coaches in Georgia have been charged with the murder of a 16-year-old girl after her death following outdoor training in the extreme heat, NBC News reported Wednesday.

Larosa Maria Walker-Asekere and Dwight Broom Palmer have been charged with second degree murder, second degree child cruelty, manslaughter and reckless driving, the outlet said.

A Clayton County grand jury has issued an indictment indicting the two in connection with the August 2019 death of Imani Bell, an Elite Scholars Academy student who died after outdoor women’s basketball practice . The heat index in the Jonesboro area that day, where the school is located, reached 106 to 108 degrees.

Bell allegedly collapsed while walking up the steps of the football stadium during a conditioning exercise. She was quickly taken to hospital where she later died of heat-related cardiac arrest and kidney failure, court documents show, according to NBC.

Walker-Asekere, the head coach, and Broom, an assistant coach, were both present at training and were in charge of high school students, family lawyer Justin Miller said, according to NBC.

“The incident in question did not have to happen,” Miller said.

Chris stewartChris Stewart New mask guidelines trigger backlash Time to call the ‘Ghost Army’ what they are: Hero students chase Atlanta police after being shocked by stun gun, fired from car MORE, another lawyer for the family, added that there was a heat advisory on the day of the practice, which warned that all outdoor activities should be limited due to the heat.

Bell’s family filed a wrongful death complaint against school administrators in February.

“We are learning to live with the loss of our daughter every day,” Imani Bell’s mother, Dorian Bell, said at a press conference in February. “Realizing that it’s nothing that will never go away, that it will always be there, I’m missing a piece of myself, but we’re learning to live.… We just want this whole situation closed.”

It is not known if the coaches are still employed at the school.