THE DEATH of a schoolboy who drowned as he tried to flee from chasing police officers on the outskirts of Derry on Wednesday evening, is to be investigated by the North’s Policing Ombudsman Al Hutchinson.
Kyle Bonnes (15) drowned in the river Faughan in the village of Drumahoe as he and another teenager ran off when police officers arrived in the village to investigate reports of a disturbance.
Kyle was in a field with his friend when two police officers challenged them; he jumped into the river in a bid to escape but he was swept away by the rapid flow despite efforts by a police officer and a resident to rescue him.
His body was recovered downstream by the Foyle search and rescue’s emergency response team.
Floral tributes to the boy were laid yesterday on a bridge overlooking the stretch of river where he drowned. The teenager lived with his parents in the nearby Tullyally estate. Local community worker Kathleen Cooke said Kyle’s friends were shocked and confused by his death.
“When we heard about the awful tragedy, we decided to open the local community centre and over 30 of Kyle’s friends came to the centre to comfort one another. Some of them were with him in the field when he ran off . . . He was such a lovely bubbly boy who would always shout a welcome when he saw you.”
Local DUP councillor Drew Thompson said the stretch of the river where Kyle entered was known to be dangerous. “ I know that Kyle was very well thought of in the area,” he said.