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Prosecutor says fentanyl killed Florida boy

MIAMI —  A Florida prosecutor has confirmed that a Miami boy died from a fentanyl overdose after visiting a local pool, but authorities don’t know h...
fentanyl

MIAMI —  A Florida prosecutor has confirmed that a Miami boy died from a fentanyl overdose after visiting a local pool, but authorities don’t know how he came into contact with it.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon that preliminary findings show fentanyl killed 10-year-old Alton Banks.

Rundle says investigators don’t believe Alton got the dangerous opioid at his home. She says the boy could have simply touched the substance, explaining that it could have been on a towel at the pool.

An assistant fire rescue chief in Miami says the neighborhood where the boy died has seen a dramatic rise in overdoses from the drug.

Pete Gomez calls the situation an epidemic, telling The Associated Press the overdoses come “in every form of human life.”

Prosecutors say Alton Banks collapsed and died June 23, shortly after returning home from an outing at a neighborhood swimming pool.

Gomez says some streets in the neighborhood are littered with used needles. First responders wear protective clothing, including coveralls, long sleeves, gloves and masks to protect themselves.

Gomez added that crews often cut the pockets of victims to make sure they don’t prick themselves when patting them down.

The Miami Herald reports preliminary toxicology reports show Alton Banks had the painkiller fentanyl in his system when he collapsed and died at his home on June 23. Health officials say fentanyl is so powerful that just a speck breathed in or absorbed through skin can be fatal.

Officials say Alton started vomiting after coming home from a pool outing and was found unconscious that evening.

 

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