On Tuesday, we reported on the rescue mission at the corner of Fairweather Street and South Creek Street, where a child had fallen into the canal. Tragically, later that evening, volunteers and the Belize Coast Guard recovered the lifeless body of six-year-old King Wade from the water. Today, we spoke with some of the brave volunteers who risked their lives trying to save him, as well as the grieving family. News Five’s Britney Gordon has the story.
It takes just about twenty seconds for a child to drown. Tragically, six-year-old King Shakel Wade was in the water for nearly three hours before his body was found in the canal on South Creek Street. What started as a fun afternoon with his three siblings turned into a nightmare when King fell into the water around three p.m. His babysitter, Jennifer Fitzgibbon, who has cared for him since he was a baby, shared with us the heart-wrenching moment she realized something was terribly wrong.
Voice of: Jennifer Fitzgibbon, Babysitter of Deceased
“So I deh upstairs di tend to the baby when I hear his sister come and ask me, where is King? So I tell her, King deh out there pan the refridge. So she gone out there, when she gone out there, she said, King no deh out there. So we start look for ah, I start holler for ah. We noh hear ah, so I come back here ya, and when she come back here, my lee grandson tell her, he say, King there in the kinnel. So she laugh, so I tell her not laugh, I say, cause that could be serious. So we gone, di look round and look round, we got all about we know he could ah mi deh. And we come back, so when we come back I tell she, I she go go check in inna di the kinnel one more time see if you see he slippers. And when I hear she bawl out when I call, I see the two slippers in the kinnel.”
That afternoon, Fitzgibbon had left King sitting on a refrigerator at the back of her yard, away from the canal with strict instructions to keep still, while she tended to the younger children. The moment she realized what had transpired, the search was on. Arenel Smith was the first person to jump into the water.
Arenel Smith, Rescue Volunteer
“First thing, come to my head, da king dat. We always de pan front of the alley and usually lot of people deh front of the alley. I think di chill and thing. But. I don’t really know what gone on there. But that just hurt me when I hear, King deh da water. First thing gone to my head, go home, take off the clothes we yo got on, no hesitation, and jump in the water. Don’t worry about where de down deh, or weh de in deh, just jump da water and try to save the young boy. First time di circle round, I had a circle round, I noh di find nothing. But I still noh di give up hope.”
Smith mentioned that the police and coastguards were already at the scene. Some witnesses criticized the coastguards for hesitating to jump into the water. However, Petty Officer Noel Avila explained that during a rescue mission, officers must first conduct a risk assessment to decide the safest and most effective course of action.
Noel Avila, Petty Officer, Belize Coast Guard
“Upon arriving to the scene there was a bunch of people. Videoing, poking with stick in the water. I went, I did my assessment. The chief talked to the police officer in charge on the scene. He gave us a brief description of what have occurred. The child went in the water around three o’clock. They had not surfaced. He mentioned that a crocodile was in the water. At that time, my parental instinct kicked in, and I told the chief, I’m going in the water. Knowing the debris and all the stuff that’s in the water, I still went in.”
After about twenty minutes of diving, the body was retrieved by Egbert Myers, a cousin of King, who lives nearby.
Egbert Myers, Rescue Volunteer
“When we go there, we meet police, everybody. Di look for the baby. But they can’t find ah. Til inna di night. When I see everybody start jumping in the water, then I say, just mek I go. As I jump da water, I feel, when I gone da bottom, I feel the foot.”
Reporter
“What was going through your head when you felt the foot?”
Egbert Myers
“It mi ruff. I neem mi want go pick up ah. But I mi have to because da mi lee cousin.”
Egbert Myers
“It’s rough mami. Da just life, tho. We have to do it. Cuz he pa noh de ya, but he mi wa do the same thing.”
King was a lively and energetic child, cherished by everyone in the community. His aunt, Sharon Wade, shared that the grief extends beyond just the family; the entire community is mourning his loss.
Sharon Wade, Aunt of Deceased
“He was jovial, very sweet. Everybody that knew King knew that his personality was very sweet and sour, you could tell when he’s being mischievous. You could tell when he’s very sweet. And with King being the sweet guy that he is, that outweighs the mischievousness that he does, in the time of he being mischievous, then you’ll remember. But this King, he’s just so sweet. Everybody, like the whole entire neighborhood around here because of who King is. And King da friend with big, literally big man round ya.”
Upon retrieving King’s body, the Belize Coast Guard attempted CPR, however, he was without a pulse. Lieutenant Ruperto Pinelo, Unit Commander of the Medical Department, explains how they determined that it was too late to save the child.
Lt. Ruperto Pinelo, Unit Commander, Medical Dept, B.C.G.
“People say that the child was still alive but he did had some movements but, you have to understand that the body is full of nerves and when the nerves get he also moved the muscles, but when I received the body was already in that rigor mortis, and it was very hard for me to present or to make a miracle like for, let’s say for that, but we did our best. We did our protocols, and once he arrived to the KHMH, it was handed over to the doctor.”
Before anyone entered the water, Steve White attempted to rescue the child with a rake. He emphasizes the need for community support to ensure the safety of children.
Steve White, Rescue Volunteer
“The community can’t run without the adults, you know. You need the adults to guide the kids out here. Because the kids are some misguided missiles, you know. They’re innocent, young and innocent. But at the same time too, they don’t got their full sense, you know. Wrong and right every time.”
Britney Gordon for News Five.
