Winston-Salem police are investigating the death of a 6-year-old at Kimberly Park pool yesterday.
The girl's name was not released because police are notifying family members.
Officers and paramedics were called at 3:30 p.m., police said, on a report of an unconscious child in the pool. Lifeguards pulled the girl from the water and started CPR, and an ambulance took her to Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, where she died.
Detectives are investigating, which is department policy when such deaths involve a child under 16.
Police said that the girl was part of a group from the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club that was on an outing to the pool.
It was not immediately clear where in the pool lifeguards found the girl, how many children were on the outing, or how many adults were supervising the group.
Kimberly Park pool has two diving boards above water 12 feet deep. It also has a shallow area for toddlers. Police investigators gathered yesterday evening around an elevated lifeguard stand near the pool's deep water.
Dick Butler, the aquatics director for the city's Recreation and Parks Department, declined to comment, saying that police would be in charge of releasing details about the incident.
A spokeswoman for the Salvation Army Boys and Girls Club could not be reached for comment.
The death is the third at a city pool in recent years. In 2007, Christian Miller, 16, drowned at the pool in Happy Hill Park. A medical condition contributed to Miller's death, according to the autopsy.
The response to the incident drew public criticism. A lifeguard had thought that the teenagers crying for help were joking, according a police report. And a city official initially denied any delays in the response from lifeguards.
In 2002, Jalen Yates, 6, drowned at the Polo Park pool. An autopsy determined that Jalen accidentally drowned in water that was 5 feet deep.
All lifeguards at city pools must complete 30 hours of training through the American Red Cross, including instruction in first aid and certification in CPR.
The city then requires 20 more hours of training in city policies.
Both the city and the Red Cross training have to be completed before pools open for the season. Throughout the summer, lifeguards receive more training and conduct simulated rescue.
CPR certification must be renewed each year. Lifeguard training and first aid must be updated every three years.
■ Dan Galindo can be reached at 727-7377 or at dgalindo@wsjournal.com.
■ John Hinton can be reached at 727-7302 or at jhinton@wsjournal.com.
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