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High school coaches charged with murder following student's heat-related death

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Posted at 5:11 PM, Aug 11, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-11 18:11:53-04

ATLANTA, GA — Two coaches are charged with murder and child cruelty in the death of 16-year-old Imani Bell, The Associated Press reports.

Court records say Imani, a high school basketball player, died in August 2019 after running up and down steps during practice in 100-degree weather.

Doctors said the Georgia teenager suffered a heat stroke.

A grand jury indicted Larosa Maria Walker-Asekere and Dwight Broom Palmer on second-degree murder charges. They are also charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

“The charges are good,” Imani's family attorney, Justin Miller, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Someone is being held responsible. This is what the family wanted.”

The family filed a lawsuit against the school administrators at Elite Scholars Academy, according to the Daily Beast. Brown claims rules were broken that could have prevented Imani's death.

The school district reportedly hasn't commented on the lawsuit.