MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Neighbors mourned the loss of 13-year-old Cedric Walton.
Police said he jumped the fence at this city pool and drowned.
WREG discovered even when they’re closed, someone is supposed to be watching the city pools.
According to documents, the city signed a $30,000 contract with Delta Security for video monitoring at the pools.
They were tasked specifically to watch for break ins.
So why didn’t anyone see Walton hop the fence Sunday?
Delta Security told WREG it couldn’t because internet service for that camera went out on Saturday and it wasn’t live streaming.
A spokesman with the company said it told the city about the problem Saturday, but nothing was done.
The next day Walton drowned.
Mayor A C Wharton said he didn’t know all the facts, but he has been trying to get to the bottom of the breakdown in communication.
“I don’t want to tell you something one day and then come back and say it did, but it went to the wrong person. We just do not. All we know is that we have an active contract,” he said.
Parents claimed kids hop the fence all the time and said the city needed to do something about that as well.
“They still should have the fence high enough so people can’t just climb over the fence and get in. That’s the thing,” said neighbor Charles Lawrence.
They just wish the changes had been made before the death of a teen.
“It’s always like that in this world. Something has to happen before somebody does something,” said Paris Lawrence.
