High school basketball player dies from heat stroke, coaches accused of murder

A Georgia high school basketball player suffered a heat stroke after practicing outdoors in over 90-degree weather and now police say a grand jury has charged her two coaches on criminal charges.

On Aug. 13, 2019, authorities say Imani Bell, 16, participated in conditioning drills for a high school's girls basketball team when she collapsed after running up the football stadium steps.

According to Fox29, Bell collapsed after showing signs of distress.

At the time, the temperature outside was in the high 90s Fahrenheit and the area in Georgia was under a heat advisory, officials said.

Imani died later that day due to heat-related cardiac arrest and kidney failure, according to a lawsuit filed by her family and reported by local media.

Now an Atlanta-area grand jury has indicted two of the coaches, head coach Larosa Walker-Asekere and assistant Dwight Palmer, on murder charges, authorities said.

An attorney for Imani’s family told ABC 7 that the indictment “sends a signal that the [district attorney] is taking this seriously,” and he is hoping to see this case move ahead “swiftly.”

According to the family, school officials violated a Georgia High School Association rule banning outdoor practices in weather conditions like on the day Imani passed away and the coaches never properly measured the temperature in advance.