Report: Summerville Police battled to get through gate as child drowned in pond

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - As police responded to Saturday’s 911 call of a child face down in a Summerville retention pond, an incident report states officers had “difficulties” getting access to the scene.

The report from Summerville Police states officers tried several methods to open a gate leading into the neighborhood before jumping the fence and running to the pond to recover the child’s body.

Summerville Police responded Saturday afternoon just before 5:15 p.m. to the Central Commons neighborhood where the child had been reported. Upon recovery, officers gave the child CPR before authorities took him to the hospital where he later died, according to Dorchester County Coroner Paul J. Brouthers.

Brouthers identified the child as 2-year-old Alijah Brown.

Before officers jumped the gate and swam through the pond, the incident report details how they tried to get through using several different methods. However, the code to the gate did not work and the gate did not open from its “vehicle audible system.”

After jumping over and recovering the child’s body, officers began CPR while they were still in the water. Dorchester County EMS soon arrived, and officers were able to get the gate open with the help of some residents, the report states. But officers still had to manually hold the gate open for EMS until they left.

The report goes on to say as officers ran to the pond and started swimming to Brown’s body, they noticed several residents standing on their back patios making no effort to get him out of the water.

Summerville Police have not yet responded to a question regarding how much time they think was spent trying different codes and figuring out a way inside nor whether any arrests have been made.

Summerville Police and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division are investigating the incident.

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