Police: Child caught in roll-up parking garage gate has died
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Police Department announced on Saturday that the 6-year-old boy who got caught in a roll-up parking garage in Downtown Orlando last weekend has died.
The child was on life support since the incident happened. Investigators say detectives are now waiting for the final ruling from the medical examiner.
Officials reportedly responded to the scene in the 300 block of Concord Street last Saturday morning.
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The Orlando Police Department initially reported that the child had died. However, they later made the correction saying they discovered that the boy had been placed on life support. He has since passed away though, they confirmed one week later.
"Currently, this all appears to be a tragic accident," police said.
Timothy Jessop said he was nearby when he saw the heartbreaking scene. He said he saw officers use their squad cars to try to reach the 6-year-old.
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"I heard a woman screaming, so I ran outside and I saw a boy hanging, dangling, from this parking garage," Jessop said. "They pulled up underneath the boy and a second one pulled over next to it and the officers got on top of their SUVs and the officer in the middle was trying to reach up for the boy."
When officers got the boy down from the parking gate, they quickly performed CPR.
"When I got down to the lobby, it was pretty intense," said Mark Johnston, who lives in the building. "There were lots of police around. There was a woman police officer trying to give CPR on the young man."
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Orlando Police said that the boy was rushed to the hospital in serious condition.
"That breaks my heart. It really does," said Jessica Hennie, who lives in the apartment complex. "I saw two scooters on the ground, police cars, tape."
Hennie sayid there are not play areas in the complex or many nearby and that she sees children playing in that parking garage often.
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"I feel like those kids were playing here because they had nowhere to play around here that’s safe," Hennie said.
"Sadness. Just sadness," Johnston said. "He didn’t know what he was getting into, whoever opened the gate. They are probably feeling awful. It’s just a bad situation all the way around."
The apartment complex said it could not comment on an open investigation, but sends condolences to the family.