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July 22, 2004

Teen Drowning Investigation Continues

From: Pittsburgh Channel.com, PA - Jul 22, 2004

PITTSBURGH -- The coroner has ruled that a 15-year-old West African immigrant accidentally drowned at a recreation center in Larimer, but Pittsburgh police are still looking into the boy's death.

DeGulle Ngankam was pulled from the Kingsley Association's indoor pool on Frankstown Avenue Tuesday afternoon. He went into cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.

It's unclear why the boy went underwater. Police are checking to see if the lifeguard on duty at the time was properly licensed.

Ngankam came to America from Cameroon after a bout with meningitis left him deaf. Surgeons installed a cochlear implant, and he later enrolled at The DePaul Institute, a Shadyside magnet school for children with hearing and speech impairments.

Educators said Ngankam excelled in the classroom and at sports. He was slated to leave DePaul and begin attending Brashear High in the fall.

A fund has been established for Ngankam's family to help send the body home to Cameroon for burial. The cost is estimated at between $10,000 and $12,000.

Donations can be sent to:

DeGulle Ngankam
Trust c/o Dollar Bank
P.O. Box 765 Pittsburgh, PA 15230

Copyright 2004 by ThePittsburghChannel. All rights reserved.