It's a point of light in a startling tragedy.
The tragic death of Ohio teen Kyle Plush in the back of his own minivan has led to crucial upgrades that may help future victims in need of assistance.
Amid intense scrutiny that followed the 16-year-old's asphyxiation death despite two desperate 911 calls, Cincinnati City Hall has approved $454,000 in funds to improve its beleaguered emergency call center.
The money will go toward staffing, upgrading technology and other enhancements, according to The Associated Press.
The announcement last week came after weeks of public debate and back-and-forth in city hall about how Kyle's frantic plea for help slipped through the cracks.
The teen called 911 at about 3:15 p.m. on April 10 after he became trapped by the third-row seat in his minivan while reaching for his tennis equipment outside of Seven Hills School.
He called 911 twice. After the first call, officers were dispatched to the school. But during the second call, the police dispatcher failed to relay vital information to those officers.
In the second call, Kyle said he was in a gold Honda Odyssey and described the parking lot he was in. He also said he was going to die soon if he didn’t get help.
Amber Smith, the dispatcher who picked up the second call, reportedly told authorities she could not hear Kyle.
Police records show the officers, Edsel Osborne and Brian Brazile, did not check all of the school's parking lots, reports said.
The officers were at the school for about 11 minutes, but body camera footage only shows about three minutes of their search, reports said.
It was Kyle’s own father who reportedly found the body of his son in the minivan hours later. An autopsy declared that Kyle died of "asphyxia due to chest compression."
The police department has said it will not provide any comments on the incident until an internal investigation is completed.
Osborne and Brazile have not been placed on administrative leave, according to reports.
RELATED STORIES
