East Detroit High School student dies after being pulled from pool

14-year-old had been on life support since incident last Friday

EASTPOINTE, Mich. – An  East Detroit High School student has died after being pulled from a pool last week.

Freshman KeAir Swift, 14, had been on life support since he had to be rescued from the school's pool on Friday.

Previous story: 14-year-old student nearly drowns at Eastpointe school

"We ask for your prayers and support for the Swift family and our school community during this tragedy," said Joanne Lelekatch, superintendent of East Detroit Public Schools. "This is a devastating event for all of us, students, staff members, parents and administrators. The loss of a child touches the core of who we are. The sadness is unimaginable." 

An autopsy is planned.

Grief counselors are at the school for staff and students.

Full statement from school:

KeAir Swift, a 14 year old high school freshman died Monday after a tragic swimming accident on Friday at East Detroit High School.  School officials noted grief counselors and a crisis team had been working in the school and providing assistance to both students and staff members.  The high school was stunned on Monday by the loss of a student respected and beloved by his fellow students and the East Detroit Staff.

"We ask for your prayers and support for the Swift family and our school community during this tragedy," said Joanne Lelekatch, Superintendant of the East Detroit Public Schools.  "This is a devastating event for all of us, students, staff members, parents and administrators.  The loss of a child touches the core of who we are.  The sadness is unimaginable."  

School officials confirmed that KeAir Swift, a new student in Eastpointe was involved in a swimming accident, but refused to speculate further as a police investigation is ongoing.  As a matter of course, the police department opened an investigation into Friday's events, but no criminal charges were expected to be filed. 

"We are committed to cooperating fully with the local authorities during their investigation," noted Superintendant Lelekatch.  "We will also conduct a comprehensive district review of the events that occurred on Friday.  We will thoroughly examine if district policies and procedures were followed.  We are committed to ensuring that this type of tragedy never occurs again."

In addition to bringing in local crisis teams, school officials were also working closely with the Macomb Intermediate School District (ISD) to provide additional support for teachers and staff members touched by the loss.   Multiple ISD teachers and staff members joined the East Detroit High School staff on Monday and were expected to continue to provide ongoing assistance on Tuesday and Wednesday.