Former America’s Got Talent contestant Deshundre Vinson has been charged with murder in connection with the drowning death of his 4-year-old nephew, who authorities say was underwater for nine minutes. Vinson, 22, was arrested Wednesday in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and charged with first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated child abuse stemming from the August 16 drowning at a local swimming pool, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office said. Authorities were responding to a different incident at an apartment complex Wednesday when they heard screaming from the pool area — and found CPR was already in process on the little boy, Chattanoogan.com reported.
The boy appeared to be unconscious when he was pulled out of the swimming pool. He had been underwater for about nine minutes, according to an arrest affidavit viewed by WTVC. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died from his injuries five days later.
Surveillance video showed the boy walking from the edge of the pool into deeper water, according to the affidavit. The report states that the boy struggled before going underwater, where he stayed for nine minutes before someone pulled him out and began CPR. Detectives later determined that Vinson, the boy’s uncle, was responsible for babysitting him, his 6-year-old brother and several other children at the time of the drowning.
However, Vinson allowed the 4-year-old and 6-year-old to walk two-tenths of a mile to the apartment pool unsupervised, police said. Vinson is part of Citi Limitz, a trio who appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and America’s Got Talent.
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