Family vows to seek justice for King Overton, 9-year-old boy who drowned at swim camp

RICHMOND, Va. — Hundreds gathered Saturday at Fifth Street Baptist Church in Richmond for the homegoing service of 9-year-old King Overton, who drowned while attending his first day of swim camp in Henrico.

On Monday, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined King died by accidental drowning at SwimRVA-North, a nonprofit organization dedicated to swimming and water safety.

As his family laid him to rest, those close to him vowed to continue fighting for accountability and legislative change.

Keila Bellamy, a family advocate for King, said the sight of a child in a casket made the stakes impossible to ignore.

"[He] drowned while under the supervision of adults. It is devastating," Bellamy said.

Bellamy said the family is driven by grief and a determination to ensure King's death leads to change.

"It's like dancing between grief and anger because this is something that should not have happened," Bellamy said.

She said the family intends to pursue accountability from those responsible.

"This was preventable. This was a child. We will seek justice for King, and he will get it...," Bellamy said.

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Bellamy previously told WTVR CBS 6 that the timeline surrounding King's death has left his mother with unanswered questions.

"King was in group two, and so group two went swimming from 1:15 to 2:15. He was pulled unresponsive from the pool at around 2:34. She said when she saw him, he was full of water. She doesn't know if he was in the pool for 30 minutes, 45 minutes. Did he drown during the swim lesson?" Bellamy said. "She had no idea if free swim was even an option for King, because when she dropped him off that morning, he said, 'Mommy, I'm going to go in the four feet,' and she said, 'No you're not, you don't know how to swim,' and the worker at SwimRVA said to her, 'Well, he's in the right place, don't you worry.'"

King's aunt, Cherry Stone, said he was enrolled in the camp specifically to learn how to swim safely.

"King wanted to learn to swim because we do our annual trip where we go to South Carolina every year, and he wanted to make sure that he could handle being in the pool safely. [His mother] sent him to swim camp so he could learn how to swim. We just need answers. We need to know what happened," Stone said. "In this instance, King was in a place that was supposed to protect and watch him."

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Henrico Police and Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor said the investigation into the boy's death is ongoing.

Bellamy called for stronger legislative protections for children in aquatic settings, drawing a sharp contrast with existing regulations on other products.

"It seems like vape products are more regulated than children in a pool and that is dangerous and that is how accidents like this happen," Bellamy said.

Bellamy said the family's fight extends beyond King to other families who have faced similar tragedies.

Stone said the outpouring of support has meant a great deal to the family.

"King is loved, and he has a village, and the village is hurting right now," Stone said. "Please continue to support us and keep us in your prayers because in the days after, we're going to need it more than ever."