White Massachusetts Teen, 14, Faces Attempted Murder Charges in 'Racially Motivated' Near Drowning Incident
A 14-year-old faced attempted murder charges after the victim and witnesses went to police.
Sept. 7 2023, Published 5:30 p.m. ET
A white Massachusetts teenager was charged with attempted murder in a "racially motivated" attempted drowning incident, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The alleged victim, a Black child whose name was redacted because of his age, accused two of his so-called friends of trying to drown him at a Cape Cod area pond on July 19. The juvenile claimed the suspect laughed while calling him "George Floyd" during the senseless attack.
The incident took place on July 19 at Goose Pond near Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
A grand jury voted to indict the 14-year-old on charges of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon. Authorities alleged that the incident was "racially motivated."
The accuser went to the Chatham Police Department to report the incident that took place at Goose Pond. The Black juvenile detailed the disturbing alleged attack in a statement to authorities.
He claimed he was invited to Goose Pond by Sheeran by another juvenile, whose name was redacted. While at the pond, the alleged victim said he told them that he could not swim and wore a life jacket.
Tensions escalated quickly between the accuser and suspect, who was accused of throwing rocks at the Black teen and intentionally using "racial slurs like 'boy.'"
The alleged victim accused Sheeran of attempting to pull him underwater four or five times. When he revealed that he couldn't breathe due to water in his nose and mouth, the alleged victim wrote in a statement that the suspect "started laughing and called me George Floyd, obviously making fun of me and showing NO remorse."
After he called for help, another juvenile at the pond, who was not associated with the group, intervened and pulled him safely from the water. That witness also provided a statement to authorities.
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The victim claimed the suspect laughed and called him 'George Floyd' during the incident.
In his statement to police, the witness said he heard the alleged victim tell the suspect "to please not splash or push him because of his inability to swim."
The witness said he also watched the suspect and the other juvenile "pushing his head under water" while the Black child was "screaming for help." This prompted the witness to swim to the boys and intervene.
"When I finally get to them they were smirking," the witness statement read.
Another eyewitness, who was also a juvenile not associated with the group, recalled similar disturbing details in a written statement to police.
In her statement, the witness said she was called into the water by another juvenile and was told "to 'listen to what they're saying.' I couldn't make out the words but I eventually saw them on top of him holding him underwater. I don't know who said it, but I recall one of them saying "George Floyd.'"
After the alleged victim was pulled ashore, she asked if he was okay. Later she told police, "he doesn't know how to swim, and they purposely called him down to the pond."
Sheeran's attorney, Kevin Reddington, told the Boston Globe that the charges were "over the top" and chalked up the incident to mere "horseplaying" that "got out of control."
After Sheeran was indicted by the grand jury, the suspect was ordered to be held without bail following a dangerousness hearing that took place the day after his indictment. Sheeran remains in custody of the Department of Youth Services until his next scheduled hearing on September 13.
Reddington said he planned to appeal to the Supreme Court for the teen's release.
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