Boy, 14, dead after pulled from Kennedy High School pool

CHICAGO (WLS) -- A 14-year-old boy died Wednesday afternoon after he was pulled from a pool at a high school in the city's Garfield Ridge neighborhood on the Southwest Side.

He was identified to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office as Rosario Gomez, of the 5100-block of South Springfield Avenue in Chicago.

The student, who has special needs, was participating in an open pool period at Kennedy High School, 6325 W. 56th St., when he went missing in the water.

Gomez was pulled from the water before firefighters arrived, said Larry Langford, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department.

Paramedics performed CPR and took him to MacNeal Hospital in Berwyn in "extremely critical" condition, Langford said. Gomez later died at the hospital.

Student Alex Dominguez was in the pool when the victim went missing said he was under water for about two minutes.

"It was kind of hectic. They were telling us to get out of the pool and go to the locker room and change. They were trying to give the boy enough space to hopefully resuscitate him," Dominguez said.

The school, which has 1,600 students, will offer crisis support for students and staff, according to Chicago Public Schools.

CPS issued a statement Wednesday night saying, "The Chicago Public Schools family mourns the tragic loss of one of our students earlier today. Our condolences go out to the student's family, and our thoughts are with the entire Kennedy community. CPS is conducting a thorough investigation of the incident."

The Sun-Times Media Wire contributed to this report.