A teenager who was in custody of the Georgia juvenile justice system died Sunday after he collapsed while playing basketball, according to the state’s Department of Juvenile Justice.
The 17-year-old teenage boy collapsed inside the gymnasium at the Augusta Youth Development Campus that’s overseen by the Department of Juvenile Justice, said Glenn Allen, director of communications for the department. Staff at the youth detention facility was present in the gym at the time of the incident, he said in an email.
The boy was taken by ambulance to a medical center in Augusta, where he later died. The Department of Juvenile Justice did not release the boy’s name.
Allen said in a statement that although there is “no indication of foul play,” the department has asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to examine the death.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the youth’s family and the (Youth Development Campus) staff,” Allen said.
This death is the first juvenile who has died while in the care of the state’s juvenile justice system since three teenagers died within a span of a few weeks in 2022, according to Allen. Following those deaths, some juvenile justice staff lost their jobs and faced charges.
There’s also been increased scrutiny on the department: a state audit last year examined failings with the juvenile justice system, and earlier this year, U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff asked the Government Accountability Office, which serves as a government watchdog for Congress, to probe into the issue of alleged abuse of youth in juvenile detention facilities.
A spokesperson for the GBI confirmed that it is investigating the death in Augusta, and declined to comment further.
