Tragedy has struck the community of Laveen as new body-cam footage provides grim insights into the drowning incident of 15-year-old Cesar Chavez High School football player Christopher Hampton, whose life was cut short in the waters of Show Low Lake last summer. The recently unveiled videos from Navajo County Sheriff's Office, obtained by AZFamily, reveal a patchwork of shock, confusion, and apparent negligence surrounding the events that led to the teen’s death.
A coach lamented the harsh reality of having to inform a parent that their child was lost, coaches were spotted in a state of disarray, lacking details about how Hampton was overlooked while a small contingent of adults left to purchase ice cream for the team none of them could confirm seeing the young man in the water though many claimed he had attempted to swim to a buoy, it wasn't until bedtime that a headcount revealed Hampton's absence, prompting a frantic search and reality setting in that tragedy had occurred. In an interview with 12News, one coach admitted, "I'm willing to face the music man. I'm responsible. I'm the guy that's in charge," while another disturbingly pinpointed, "He's in there between that buoy and that dock. He's down there."
Hampton's mother, Tonisha Johnson, rushed to the scene after learning about the incident from her son's teammate, and she repeatedly told investigators her son could not swim—information that a coach acknowledged was known prior to the trip. "His mom let us know he can't swim," a Cesar Chavez High School football coach said in a body-cam video. Benjamin Taylor, the attorney representing Hampton's family, asserts the Cesar Chavez High School football coaches acted negligently when they disregarded warnings about the lake's swimming conditions and failed to account for Hampton's safety.
Last summer's events have led to significant changes at Cesar Chavez High School the varsity head football coach and the athletic director resigned, and the school district appointed a new head coach, the hiring of former Central High School head coach Chandler Hovik in December signaled a step forward from the tragedy but did not alleviate the legal consequences facing the district, as Hampton's family is suing Phoenix Union High School District (PXU) among others, for what they deem preventable negligence. PXU has opted to stay mum on the situation, offering no immediate comment and referring to an earlier stance of not commenting on pending litigation.
