Family of Gabriel Stone announces independent investigation into death at Robins Air Force Base pool

14-year-old Gabriel Stone's death at Robins Air Force Base prompts independent investigation by family attorneys

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Attorneys representing the family of Gabriel Stone, a 14-year-old boy who died when a wall at Robins Air Force Base collapsed on him on July 22, are opening an independent investigation into the teenager’s death.

According to the family, the collapse happened during a 20-minute adult swim interval at Heritage Club Pool. Gabriel, his older brother and other young children were in the men’s locker room when the family says Gabriel’s brother went to get an item that had gotten stuck inside a concrete partition.

This encouraged the younger children to climb the wall as well, leading to it shifting. Gabriel Stone and his brother tried to stabilize the wall but were unsuccessful.

“When the older brother saw that his younger brother had two hands on it, he retracted his one hand,” Dr. Roderick Edmond, a medical malpractice specialist and founder of Edmond & Lindsay, LLP, said. “And once he pulled that one hand down, all the cinder blocks just basically collapsed, crushing this young kid under rubble and cinder block.”

“The main thing in a circumstance like this is making sure we get a structural engineer,” personal injury attorney Shofaetiyah Watson said. “Was there a defect? Was there something inherent that should have been fixed? We want to know when was the last time the wall was inspected. When was the wall built? Who built the wall?”

41NBC reached out to Robins Air Force Base for additional comment and are waiting to hear back.

The base released the following statement after Stone’s death:

“Our hearts are broken for these individuals and their families. We remain committed to supporting our Airmen and their loved ones as we navigate this difficult time for Team Robins,” said Col. Deedrick Reese, Installation and 78th Air Base Wing commander. “We want to thank the first responders – including lifeguards, installation and community personnel – who responded to this tragic incident with compassion and professionalism.”