The 15-year-old boy who died after being found underwater in a pond at a paintball park in Trevor has been identified by the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department as Jamari Smith from Harvey, Ill.
Jamari Smith was pronounced dead Sunday morning. On Saturday afternoon, he had been swimming with other members of a youth group from All Nations Church. A lifeguard counting heads had come up one short and started looking for the missing individual. Shortly afterward, someone stepped on Jamari who was underwater. He was dragged from the pond and CPR was performed by the lifeguard and the owners of the facility. Salem Fire/Rescue transported Jamari to St. Catherine’s Hospital in Pleasant Prairie and he was later transferred to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee, where further life saving measures failed.
Jamari is described as a “decent swimmer†by his father, a Sheriff’s Department statement said. There were no signs of trauma on the body evident at the scene or the hospital; however, results of the autopsy are not yet available.
One witness said Jamari had been seen heading toward the deeper end of the swim area approximately 15-20 minutes prior to Jamari being located under water, the Sheriff’s Department statement said.
“Jamari’s death is a tragic loss for his family and his community and a tragedy for Kenosha County,” said Sgt. Bill Beth, Sheriff’s Department public information officer. “At this time there does not appear to be a clear explanation as to what caused this drowning.”
