Twelve-year-old Melquan Kwame Robinson died Monday after being electrocuted by a chain-link fence at Fleming Park in Augusta, Georgia, where he was attending football practice. Two boys who tried to help him were also shocked and hospitalized; an adult was injured as well.

According to a sheriff’s report, Melquan climbed the fence to retrieve a football and was electrocuted as he came back over it. A live electrical 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. An autopsy and investigations by the coroner’s office, the sheriff’s office and the city were planned. Georgia Power said its preliminary investigation indicated that it did not control or maintain the voltage that energized the fences.

The two boys who tried to pull Melquan from the fence survived. One, David Sette, had been moved from intensive care to a regular hospital room, his mother said, though doctors remained concerned about blood levels associated with muscle breakdown. 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. His former coach and family spokesperson, Don Clark, remembered him as an energetic, athletic child who loved football, cared deeply for his family and hoped to become a professional athlete. Melquan was the firstborn of three children. Clark praised the courage of the boys who tried to save him and said the loss had affected his friends, teammates and coaches as well as his family.

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