WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Last week, we reported that 14-year-old Gabriel Stone died when a locker room wall at Heritage Pool collapsed on him.
This morning, the family and their attorneys held a news conference. They say they want to find out how this happened.
"One of the things that I love about him was that he had an honest heart," Camelle Stone, Gabriel's father said.
His father said hopes Robins Air Force Base will share the most important information from the investigation with them.
Roderick Edmond is a trial lawyer for Edmond & Lindsay, LLP. He says the base has reassured them the base will be transparent in their investigation. He says they plan to ask the base how the wall in the men's bathroom collapsed.
"Was it properly inspected? What notice was there that the structure, that wall, the cinder block wall that crushed this young man was unstable?" Edmond said.
Edmond says the 14-year-old was in the locker room with three other boys during an adult swim at the pool. One of the boys climbed the wall to grab something. He says another boy went up the wall and came down when it started to shake.
"Gabriel put his hands on the wall to try to keep it erect, his brother put his one hand on there to keep it erect, and when the older brother took his one hand away all the cinder blocks just collapsed," Edmond said.
Edmond says the family isn't looking to point fingers but hopes this accident doesn't happen on other military bases. He says companies in the 80s and 90s got contracts to build similar pools.
"I would imagine that there are multiple military bases with the exact same design," Edmond said.
Timberly Stone, Gabriel's mom, can't put into words how she feels.
"It's not a good feeling," she said.
Edmond says they plan to file a federal lawsuit over Gabriel's death. He says they will file a federal tort claim once they can establish a cause of death. He says Gabriel's autopsy should be complete within the next week.
Stone was expected to start his freshman year of high school at Northside High School in Warner Robins tomorrow.