The devastated mom revealed that Camrynn was a good kid whose dream was to play professional sports.
An 11-year-old boy's life came to a tragic end after he was hurt over the Fourth of July holiday while playing with fireworks.
Camrynn Ray McMichael, of Mount Vernon, Indiana was "seriously injured" during a fireworks accident, according to a news release by the Indiana Police. According to the release, the child passed away from his wounds while being taken to a hospital in Evansville. There is no official statement regarding the cause of death.
The victim's mother, Kyrra McMichael, shared in a social media message to the Evansville Courier & Press that her son was protecting his younger sister, Karmynn Louise McMichael, "like a big brother should!"
While speaking with WXIN, Kyrra called the incident that took place on July 3, 2022, "a tragic freak accident."
"Fireworks are no joke," she said, "and when you think it won't be yours, in the blink of an eye it is." Just before 9:45 pm, local time, Posey County 911 Dispatch was informed of the incident, according to the ISP's news release.
Camrynn Ray McMichael had just finished the fifth grade, and he was a dedicated member of both his school’s football and basketball teams, his mother said. https://t.co/R9CzLSqpd7
— NBC4 Washington (@nbcwashington) July 5, 2022
A GoFundMe campaign for Camrynn's family revealed that the unfortunate incident occurred after a set of fireworks "malfunctioned." The devastated mom revealed that Camrynn was a good kid whose dream was to play professional sports.
"He was an all-around, American boy," Kyrra shared, adding that her son was "trying to get himself a scholarship to go to college and be in the NFL or NBA."
"He's every parent's dream of a boy," she said, "... And because boys are boys, they play with fireworks [and] he is gone. In the blink of an eye. Literally."
Camrynn participated in sports on a regular basis, said Ruth Fulwider, a family friend who works at Mount Vernon's Brittlebank Pool. She spoke to WEHT, revealing that she frequently interacted with Camrynn and his mother.
The young lad was smart and gifted athletically, according to Rhett Snodgrass, an assistant manager at the pool. "When you talked to him, you wouldn't think he was 10, 11 years old, but that's how old he was," Snodgrass explained. "He had a really, really smart mind to him. And really polite, he had really great manners, and he was just great to be around."
I do not know this little boy, but this is my community. At the very least, please re-tweet.https://t.co/WVy0zjgD1M
— Melissa Janik (@melliephoto) July 4, 2022
Snodgrass also added that Camrynn was "one of the better kids at the community center" and "a lot of the younger kids looked up to him."
"He would have applied himself to anything," Snodgrass said. "He could have done anything he wanted, he was a great kid."
Meanwhile, the incident is still under investigation by the Indiana State Police, Mt. Vernon Police Department, and the Posey County Coroner, according to a release on July 4, 2022. An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted on July 5, 2022, Indiana State Police said.
References:
https://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/INPOLICE-31ef347
https://www.gofundme.com/f/camrynn-ray-mcmichael
https://fox59.com/indiana-news/child-dies-after-fireworks-incident-in-mount-vernon
https://www.tristatehomepage.com/news/local-news/community-mourns-following-fireworks-tragedy
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe | Camrynn Ray McMichael