White teen charged for trying to drown Black boy in 'racially charged' incident
A 14-year-old white teenager is being indicted on charges of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon in what has been deemed a "racially motivated incident."
On a sweltering summer day, a Black teenager ventured out to a local pond with two of his white peers, hoping to cool off in the water. It was sunny with some cloud cover, yet still reached a balmy 84 degrees Fahrenheit (28.9 Celsius) on July 19.
Goose Pond in Chatham, Massachusetts, a community about 100 miles (161km) south of Boston, was the perfect getaway for the teens, who entered the water and, as teenaged boys do, began dunking each other and having rowdy fun.
Map showing the pond where the boy was almost killed (Google)There was only one issue — the Black teenager couldn't swim, and he had told his friends that when he donned a life jacket before entering the water. That didn't stop one of the white teens, a 14-year-old boy, from fiddling with the Black teen's jacket and plunging him under the water four to five times.
The white boy called the Black teen a racial slur, then picked up a stone to threaten him with, according to a statement from Cape & Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois that was posted to Facebook. Then, the white teen began the series of dunkings, which caused the victim "breathing distress."
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Throughout the incident, the other white teen allegedly laughed at the victim and made no attempts to stop the horrific violence. In fact, he reportedly referred to the victim as George Floyd, the Black man who was murdered by the police in Minneapolis in 2020 — a killing that sparked worldwide protests and activism for Black rights. Floyd was killed when cop Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck, preventing him from breathing.
But the violence in the waters of Goose Pond didn't end there. After repeatedly submerging the victim, the white teen defendant swam under him and attempted to dunk him by his feet.
The white teen indicted for attempted murder could be facing extensive jail time and/or hefty fines (Getty Images)It wasn't until the Black teen began yelling for help that the incident concluded — he had caught the attention of a bystander on shore, who swam out, grabbed him and ensured his safe return to land.
An investigation erupted from the incident, led by several members of the Chatham Police Department. On Thursday, August 31, the white teen, whose identity has not yet been released, was found dangerous after a Dangerous Hearing in the Barnstable Juvenile Court.
He was also charged with attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon and is set to be tried as an adult — meaning his records will not be sealed like those of most juveniles.
In Massachusetts, attempted murder carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years or a fine of up to $1,000 (£794) and no more than 2.5 years in prison. The penalty for assault with a dangerous weapon is imprisonment of up to five years or up to a $1,000 fine and 2.5 years in prison.
The suspect is now being held without bail and is due back in court on September 13 for a pretrial conference.
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