Twelve-year-old Melquan Kwame Robinson died Monday after being electrocuted by a fence at the city-owned Fleming Athletic Complex in Augusta, Georgia. Two boys who tried to help him were also shocked and hospitalized; an adult was injured as well.

Melquan was at football practice when a ball went over the chain-link outfield fence, according to a sheriff’s office report. He climbed over to retrieve it and was electrocuted as he came back across. A live wire had energized the fence. Deputies performed chest compressions before an ambulance took him to the Children’s Hospital of Georgia, where he was pronounced dead at 9:56 p.m.

The two boys who tried to pull Melquan from the fence survived. The mother of one, David Sette, said he had moved from intensive care to a regular hospital room and was doing better, though doctors remained concerned about blood levels associated with muscle breakdown. An update on the other boy’s condition was not available.

Melquan was a seventh-grader at Morgan Road Middle School and a member of the Trinity Elite Titans football team. Don Clark, a family friend and former coach speaking for the grieving Robinson family, remembered him as an energetic, athletic child who loved sports and dreamed of becoming a professional athlete. Melquan was the firstborn of three children and was protective of his younger siblings, Clark said. He praised the courage of the boys who tried to save their friend and called on the community to support Melquan’s family, friends, teammates and coaches.

The coroner’s office, sheriff’s office and city planned separate investigations, including an examination of how the fence became electrified. Georgia Power said its preliminary investigation indicated that it did not control or maintain the voltage that energized the fences and that it would cooperate with local officials.

The school system provided additional support to students and staff, and football activities at Fleming Park were canceled for the rest of the week. Mayor Hardie Davis offered condolences and asked residents to embrace the family. A community vigil was planned for Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Bernie Ward Community Center.