‘Why did this child have to die?’ Broward teen dead from possible mysterious gas, cops say
A Broward teenager died after potentially coming into contact with a mysterious chemical on Wednesday, deputies said.
“Why did this child die?” BSO Spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright said to reporters Wednesday. “Very very sad what this family is going through. They are talking with our investigators and I can tell you our folks are trying their best to determine what happened.”
Shortly after 9 a.m., Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital told the Broward County Sheriff’s Office a 15-year-old boy had died after medical staff was concerned about a “strange smell,” possibly gas, coming from him, the sheriff’s office said.
BSO deputies and firefighters had gone to the boy’s home in West Park to investigate what happened.
Deputies went into the home to search for other victims and when one had left he complained about having trouble breathing. He was taken to Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood.
Firefighters entered the home wearing full protective gear and one had appeared to suffer a second-degree burn from exposure to the chemical. He was also taken to Memorial Regional Hospital.
It was later determined the skin irritation he had was not related to the chemical. Both the deputy and firefighter are expected to be treated and released, Coleman-Wright said.
HAZMAT teams with Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue and Hollywood Fire Rescue took readings and samples. They also analyzed the findings to determine what kind of hazardous chemicals — if any — were present.
The house was deemed safe after several sweeps so detectives could continue their investigation. No hazardous or harmful materials were found.
This story was originally published July 28, 2021 at 2:17 PM.
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