March 21--Family members, friends and classmates mourned the death Friday of an 11-year-old boy who had tried rescuing his 7-year-old sister Thursday night from a pond in southwest Charlotte.
Randez Brown, a fifth-grader at Sedgefield Elementary School, died after being rushed by Medic to Carolinas Medical Center with his sister, Shamiyah Brown.
Shamiyah, a second-grader at Sedgefield Elementary, was in critical condition Friday afternoon in the CMC Intensive Care unit.
The incident took place about 7 p.m. Thursday along Davis Creek near Interstate 77. The creek runs behind Marie G. Davis Military and Leadership Academy and near the children's home in Southside Homes, off South Tryon Street.
Randez's death was especially haunting to some members of his family, who recalled growing up with Delrico "Rico" Fisher, a 7-year-old boy who drowned in the same pond in August 1984.
Rescue personnel and neighbors said Randez and Shamiyah were among several children who apparently had cut through the school property and walked down a hill to the creek.
Breanna Caldwell, who knows the victims, said the watery area has been a popular but dangerous draw for decades for children who live in Southside Homes. She said the children were hopping from rock to slippery rock Thursday evening when the incident took place.
"I've been down there," Caldwell said. "The water is sometimes rushing really fast out of the pipe. It's muddy and easy to get stuck, especially if you go too far."
A cement-lined culvert empties into the pond, and neighbors said the water sometimes flows swiftly. The pond varies from ankle-deep to more than 6 feet, fire officials said.
Authorities said the girl slipped into the deeper water of the pond, and her brother jumped in to save her. Both siblings struggled in the water, and one of the other children went for help.
Charlotte fire Capt. Mark Basnight said firefighters "pulled the children from the water within five minutes after arriving."
A spokeswoman for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools said grief counselors were sent Friday to Sedgefield Elementary to meet with students and staff.
Meanwhile, Southside Homes residents set up an impromptu memorial along the fence at the track next to the Marie G. Davis football field. Several residents left teddy bears and notes.
The 1984 death of Rico Fisher was similar in some respects to what happened Thursday night. He was a rising third-grader at Sedgefield Elementary and had gone swimming with his brother and a friend.
The boys climbed over a fence and walked under I-77 to reach the pond.
The Observer's Cleve R. Wootson and Maria David contributed.
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