SHALIMAR - A 16-year-old boy died Wednesday after drowning in the pool of a home on Japonica Lane.
Alex Hill, a Choctawhatchee High School student was pronounced dead around 11 p.m. Wednesday at Sacred Heart Hospital, according to an Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office press release.
Hill, of Fort Walton Beach, was at a pool party with five friends when someone noticed him motionless at the bottom of the pool. The other teenagers in the pool initially thought it was a prank but when they went down and nudged him they realized he was unconscious.
Officials believe Hill was underwater for around two minutes, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office incident report.
Hill was pulled from the pool and one of the teenager’s mothers, who is a registered nurse, began CPR on him immediately. Emergency responders arrived at the home around 4 p.m. and transported him to Fort Walton Beach Medical Center before he was flown to the Pensacola hospital.
Witnesses told investigators Hill was seen on a raft in the deep end of the pool before he was found unconscious. It’s believed Hill hit his head on the side of the pool based on a cut doctors noted on his temple, the incident report said.
Hill was set to begin his junior year at the high school were he played percussion in the band, according to Choctaw Principal Cindy Gates.
“He was just a guy that everybody likes,” Gates said. “He really just lit up when he was performing.”
Gates said the school’s band room will be open today from 2 to 4 p.m. for students to gather and talk. School and local counselors will be on hand.
“We want to give them an opportunity to see each other and talk since we’re not in school,” Gates said. “I spoke with his father this morning. The family’s asking for prayers and support for them and for the family of students here. At this time, there are no official plans for any kind of service.”
Alex's grandmother, Vi Trommater, described her grandson as a "wonderful boy."
"Parents just shouldn't have to go through this," Trommater said.
She said her grandson was a good musician and loved spending time with his friends from marching band.
"He was going to go somewhere in music," Trommater said. "He was very talented. He loved band."
Phil Christenot, percussion director at Choctaw, said Hill was the most enthusiastic student he had worked with since joining the Style Marchers.
“It didn’t matter what kind of things we were doing, he was just going to do it 150%, which is super rare. He always had a smile on his face. We’ll miss him a lot.”
Christenot said the band will press forward, but Hill will never be forgotten.
“I can already tell that this entire season is going to be for Alex,” he said.
Aubrey Riggs, a 16-year-old Choctaw student, said she sat next to Hill in band the past two years in the French horn section. This year, Hill would have started percussion.
“He was such a character,” Riggs said. “He could always put a smile on people’s faces. If you had a problem, he would be one of the guys you went to for that.
“(Band’s) going to be hard this year,” she added. “It’s always going to be in the back of our minds as we’re marching. This year, we will be doing it for him.”
Contact Daily News Staff Writer Angel McCurdy at 850-315-4432 or amccurdy@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @AngelMnwfdn. Staff writer Kari Barlow contributed to this story.