An assistant fire rescue chief in Miami says the neighborhood where a 10-year-old boy died with the painkiller fentanyl in his system has seen a dramatic rise in overdoses from the drug.
The Latest on a 10-year-old boy believed to have died with the painkiller fentanyl in his system (all times local) :
An assistant fire rescue chief in Miami says the neighborhood where a 10-year-old boy died with the painkiller fentanyl in his system 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. Investigators say there’s no evidence he came into contact with the drug at his home.
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.
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6: 43 a.m.
Prosecutors in Florida believe a 10-year-old boy is among the state’s youngest victims of the opioid crisis.
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.
Investigators say there’s no evidence he came into contact with the drug at home. They think he may have been exposed to it at the pool or on his walk home in Miami’s Overtown community, which has been hard-hit by the opioid epidemic.
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