3-year-old boy drowns in Clayton pool

Authorities responded to the Lionsgate Athletic Club on Middleton Street at about 6 p.m. Paramedics and firefighters performed CPR and other life-saving measures for about an hour before the boy was pronounced dead, authorities said.

“A lot of times it is very silent and very quick,” Johnston County EMS Captain David Dolan said about drownings. “It only takes a second, literally. The best CPR that can be performed is right were we find them instead of an ambulance.”

Lifeguards were present during the time of the drowning, residents said. The pool is open to Lionsgate residents and public who purchase memberships.

Clayton police said they are waiting for a medical examiner's report on the boy's official cause of death.

Scott Hammond, aquatics director for a group of community pools that includes LionsGate, released a statement Friday morning.

“The Lionsgate community is a tightknit family community, and we are heartbroken at this tragedy,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the boy’s family ... The LionsGate pool will be closed on Friday as we join the family in mourning this terrible loss."

No further details have been released.