“We started our own investigation, having been given the green light by the DA last night to do so,’’ Edward M. Lambert Jr., the Department of Conservation and Recreation commissioner, said yesterday. “The team has been tasked with getting the facts around this disturbing incident.’’
Joseph’s neighbors were further stunned by the latest revelations on Friday from the district attorney’s office, including that the water in the pool was murky from when it opened on June 25, and that a city worker who inspected the pool Tuesday, while Joseph’s body was at the bottom, noted its water was “cloudy.’’
Friends near Joseph’s home demanded answers and accountability yesterday.
“They shouldn’t get their jobs back,’’ said Laverne Hunt, grandmother of a 9-year-old boy who said he tried to grab Joseph as she was sinking in 12-foot water and notified two lifeguards when he realized he could not save her.
Lambert said his team will conduct interviews with staff to determine how Joseph slipped underwater unnoticed by lifeguards and why the pool opened with its water murky.
In the Boston area yesterday, as temperatures of around 80 degrees drew crowds to the water, swimmers appeared relaxed. Several said they would be wary of visiting the Fall River pool, but that their own neighborhood pools seemed clean and safe.
“I’ve been coming here for years, and it’s really clean,’’ said Jane Baskerville, 42, of Hyde Park, who was sunbathing with her son and daughter at Olsen Swimming Pool in Hyde Park. She said she sees the pool staff check the water twice a day - more if the pool gets crowded.
“They’re definitely on their game here,’’ she said.
On Wednesday, the department closed 23 pools in its control so it could inspect them and review safety procedures. It was hustling to reopen most of the pools, except for Fall River, this weekend, Lambert said.
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