Boy drowns in pool at apartment complex

Karen Zekan

Friday, July 31, 1998 | 11:01 a.m.

A family afternoon at the pool ended in tragedy Thursday when a 5-year-old boy drowned at a northeast Las Vegas apartment complex.

Medical personnel at Lake Mead Hospital spent more than an hour trying to revive the boy before pronouncing him dead about 4:30 p.m. His name has been withheld until relatives are notified.

Metro Police took over the investigation Thursday afternoon to determine the course of events leading up to the drowning.

The boy's uncle told authorities that he had been in the pool with the victim and the boy's 10-year-old cousin, but left about 3 p.m. to get something from the family's apartment at the Nellis Oasis complex, 4830 Sphinx Way, near Nellis Boulevard and Cheyenne Avenue.

"The uncle said he came back five minutes later and saw the 10-year-old trying to do CPR on the 5-year-old," said Bob Leinbach, Clark County Fire Department spokesman.

Las Vegas Fire Department's rescue unit 8 was the first team to arrive, followed by a county team which assisted in resuscitation efforts before rushing the boy to the hospital.

Leinbach said the boy never regained consciousness.

The boy's death marked the seventh fatality in Clark County this year. To date, emergency crews have responded to 31 incidents involving children younger than 14.