Families helpless as 6 youths drown

SHREVEPORT, La. - DeKendrix Warner was splashing around in the waist-high waters of the Red River with his cousins and friends, trying to escape the oppressive Louisiana heat, when he stepped off a slippery ledge and was plunged into water 25 feet deep.

As the 15-year-old kicked and flailed, one cousin rushed to help and found himself plummeting down the severe drop-off. Then another.

In all, six teenagers tried to save DeKendrix - and one another - but none could swim. Their relatives, who also cannot swim, looked on helplessly as the teens screamed out for help. Six vanished and drowned Monday; DeKendrix was rescued by a bystander.

"I stepped, and I started drowning," the boy said, speaking in a low voice outside his Shreveport home.

The tragedy highlights an unsettling statistic among African Americans like the teens who died: 69 percent of black children have little or no swimming ability, compared with 41.8 percent of white children, according to a study released last spring by the sport's governing body, USA Swimming. And African Americans drown at a rate 20 percent higher than whites, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For decades, segregation limited the access of black people to public and private pools, and the disparity continues because many poor and working-class children still have limited access to pools or instruction. Research also shows some parents pass their fear of water to their children.

The gathering Monday had started out as a typical summer family get-together, a large group of relatives and friends, including about 20 children, gathered on a sandy shore near the river's bank for an afternoon of swimming and barbecue. But they didn't even have time to set up the grill before tragedy struck.

"It's hard when you can't save your kids," said Maude Warner, whose daughter Takeitha, 13, and sons JaMarcus, 14, and JaTavious, 17, were among those who drowned. "It's hard when you just see your kids drowning and you can't save them."

The other victims were three brothers: Litrelle Stewart, 18; LaDairus, 17; and Latevin, 15.

The area where the drownings occurred is near a public park, but it is not a designated recreational or swimming area, and no lifeguards are on duty. There was only one life jacket nearby, and it was thrown to the victims, but none could reach it.

Marilyn Robinson, a friend of the family's, was among the adults who watched helplessly as the victims went under. "None of us could swim," Robinson said. "They were yelling: 'Help me, help me! Somebody please help me!' It was nothing I could do but watch them drown one by one."

About 30 feet away, Christopher Patlan, 22, was hanging out with friends when he heard screams and ran toward the river. By then, all the teens were struggling, he said. He jumped in and ended up closest to DeKendrix.

"Everything happened so fast. It was like a wreck," Patlan said. By the time he dragged DeKendrix to safety, the other teens had vanished. DeKendrix pleaded with Patlan "to go help my cousin" as he was being saved. But it was too late for the others.

After a search of more than two hours, divers found the bodies at nightfall, in a 30-foot-deep section of the river about 20 feet from where they disappeared.