Dayton may pay $1.5M after boy drowned in city pool

City of Dayton staff are recommending the city pay $1.5 million to the estate of Niguel Hamilton, the 6-year-old boy who drowned in a city pool.

Hamilton died on July 12 after being discovered at the bottom of the Belmont Pool after swim lessons.

Multiple certified lifeguards were working in the pool area at the Lohrey Recreation Center in southeast Dayton when Hamilton drowned, Dayton police investigative records show.

MORE: Investigation released into boy’s drowning in Dayton pool; some details still unknown

About 10 minutes passed before a lifeguard spotted Hamilton in the deep end.

Witness statements suggest multiple people believed Hamilton left the pool to use the restroom.

Police said the pool had a reflective glare that made it hard to see the bottom of the pool from certain vantage points. Two lifeguards said the water was a little cloudy, making it hard to see the bottom clearly.

READ MORE: ‘Drowning is silent’: Boy’s death during swim lesson leads experts to urge safety measures

Dayton City Commissioners on Wednesday will decide whether to approve the $1.5 million payment, which was recommended by the city attorney. The payment would settle a moral obligation claim from law firm Wright & Schulte LLC and Naja Hamilton, the administrator of the boy’s estate, city records indicate.

About the Author