A singer featured on season 20 of America’s Got Talent has been charged with murder following the tragic drowning death of a 4-year-old.
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Deshundre “Dre” Vinson, a member of the Chattanooga, Tennessee, vocal trio Citi Limitz, was babysitting for a group of children, including the 4-year-old victim, on Aug. 16, according to Chattanooga outlet Local 3 News. The 22-year-old singer reportedly permitted the chldren under his care to walk unattended to the apartment complex’s pool.
According to Local 3 News, citing an affidavit, the children didn’t have a “parent, guardian, or caregiver with them while at the pool,” which was allegedly about 0.2 miles from the apartment.
Reportedly, surveillance footage captured the child getting into the “mildly crowded” pool. The child eventually went under the water in the pool, which was labeled as 5ft deep and allegedly had signage stating that no children under 14 could be there without an adult chaperone.
Authorities report that the 4-year-old was underwater for around 9 minutes until they were discovered.
Eventually, the child was taken from the pool, and bystanders began life-saving efforts. An on-duty Chattanooga police officer responding to another call at the apartment complex joined their efforts, according to Local 3 News. Reportedly, other first responders couldn’t locate the victim’s guardian.
The 4-year-old was transported to Erlanger Hospital, where he died on Aug. 21.
Detectives Struggled to Reach ‘America’s Got Talent’ Singer Following the Drowning Death of 4-Year-Old
Reportedly, Detectives tried to contact the singer following the tragedy, but Vinson couldn’t be reached. However, per the affidavit, detectives discovered text messages between Vinson and the victim’s mother in which “the lack of supervision and lack of response to the scene” were pointed out. The affidavit also details that Vinson “vacated [the apartment]…shortly after the incident.”
On Sept. 2, the singer was arrested and booked at the Hamilton County Jail. He’s charged with first-degree murder and three counts of aggravated child abuse.
Vinson appears in court on Sept. 9.