Our prayers go out to the family.
A 16-year-old high school basketball player has died after participating in practice Tuesday during extreme heat according to several Atlanta news outlets. Sources confirmed 11-grader Imani Bell, who attended Elite Scholars Academy in Clayton County, was running outdoors uphill when she was overcome by heat. Tuesday tied the record for the hottest day on that date in history.
Bell’s father, who said he still doesn’t have a lot of information about the circumstances of his daughter’s death, but he wondered why she was outside on an extremely hot day.
“My baby is gone,” he told Channel 2’s Jones over the phone.
Clayton County Emergency Medical Services confirmed that firefighters found the teen unresponsive inside the school around 6 p.m. Paramedics were briefly able to get Bell’s pulse back, but she later died at Southern Regional Medical Center.
“We are so sorry for her family’s loss and the pain each one of her classmates are feeling,” officials said in a statement. Clayton County Schools confirmed the death of the student late Tuesday night but wouldn’t release any other information. “We are very saddened by the loss of one of our students this evening. The school district is here to support the family of the student and all school staff and student body,” officials with the district said in a statement.
A spokesperson told Jones the case is an active investigation and she could make no additional comments. The district said grief counselors and a crisis team are at the school to provide support today.
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