13-year-old boy dies after being found in public Montreal pool early Saturday morning

UPDATE: On Dec. 14, 2023, acoroner's report was made public. The coroner concluded that the teenager died by drowning and his death was accidental. The report did not include recommendations.

A 13-year-old boy was found unresponsive at a public pool in Montreal's Mercier-Hochelaga Maisonneuve borough early Saturday morning, and his death was confirmed in hospital.

According to Montreal police, a 911 call came in just after 4 a.m. on Saturday. The pool is located on de Rouen Street between Letourneux and Bennett Avenues. Itwas closed at the time.

Police say the 13-year-old was found unresponsive in the water.They do not suspect the death was criminal in nature.

The SPVM has transferred the file to the Quebec Coroner's office to determine the cause of death.

A spokesperson for the city of Montreal expressed condolences to the teenager's family and said according to the initial information, there had been no error in securing the pool after hours.

"The access was closed and locked according to the security protocol in place," the spokesperson said in an email.

Pierre Lessard-Blais, the borough mayor forMercier-Hochelaga Maisonneuve, also expressedhis condolences.

"Today, an entire neighbourhood is in mourning and a family is going through a tragedy," the borough mayor said in a statement.

"A light must be shed on the circumstances of this tragic event. To do this, we must let the public authorities do their work and we offer them all ofthe borough'scollaboration."