CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — The sister of a teenager who died after participating in outdoor basketball conditioning drills at her school says someone needs to be held responsible for what happened.
Imani Bell, 16, died last Tuesday during one of the hottest days of the year.
"I miss everything about Imani," Nylah Bell said about her big sister. She even misses butting heads with her.
"I miss us arguing, her yelling at me," she said while smiling at the thought.
Imani Bell collapsed and later died after participating in outdoor basketball conditioning drills at Elite Scholars Academy on Aug. 13.
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It happened around 4:30 p.m. during one of the hottest days of the summer. Nylah thinks the person who had her sister outdoors running and climbing bleachers should be held responsible.
"Because I don't think she should have been outside on the hottest day. This shouldn't have happened," she said.
Clayton County Schools is investigating. The school system says there was no heat advisory warning staff to keep kids inside because of the extreme heat that day.
"It was hard for me to believe. I went there thinking that she sprung something," said Bell's younger brother, Noah.
He recalls thinking his sister had a minor injury and would be coming home. Then he realized he wouldn't see her again.
Now he wants people to remember how much she loved basketball and how smart she was. Noah recalls how she once built a computer program where two people were involved in a dance battle.
"And I was like, 'Oh my God.' And it was only the third day of camp. She just learned how to do it," he explained.
A candlelight vigil for Bell is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Dixon Grove Baptist Church. It's down the street from Elite Scholars Academy.
The family is inviting everyone out, and they want attendees to wear purple, Bell's favorite color.
Cox Media Group
