A 14-year-old boy has been charged after being accused of attempting to drown a black teen in a Cape Cod pond. John Sheeran called the teen racial slurs while trying to drown him, while another boy allegedly laughed, calling the victim “George Floyd” because he could not breathe. The incident took place on July 19.
Earlier this week, John appeared in a Boston-area court. He had been indicted by a grand jury on charges of attempted murder and assault with a dangerous weapon, NBC Boston reported.
The victim, 15, accused John and another boy of throwing rocks at him when he arrived to meet them at Goose Neck Pond in Chatham. The other boy has not been identified or charged. Police report obtained by the Boston Globe stated that the victim wore a lifejacket when he was forced to get into the water, as he could not swim.
‘Started laughing and called me George Floyd’
The boy alleged that John then swam up to him, and pulled him under the water four or five times. He called the victim the n-word, according to the affidavit. The victim said he yelled and asked John to stop because he could not breathe, while the other boy “started laughing and called me George Floyd, obviously making fun of me and showing NO remorse,” as per his police report.
An underage witness told authorities that he heard the victim ask John “to please not splash or push him because of his inability to swim.” The witness also saw the other child “pushing his head underwater” while he was “screaming for help.” “When I finally get to them they were smirking,” that child said.
The day of the incident, John punched an Asian boy in the face after being called fat, according to Cape and Islands District Attorney Eileen Moriarty. Several people attended John’s earring, including members of the NAACP of Cape Cod.
John has been charged as a youthful offender, according to New York Post. His court proceedings are open to the public. If convicted, he may be sentenced as an adult.
Meanwhile, John’s attorney said he believed the charges were “over the top.” “They were in the water horseplaying and it got out of control, clearly,” he said.
