The boy injured while on an inner tube Friday afternoon at Atlanta’s Lake Lanier remained in critical condition Tuesday afternoon. The outlook is grim for the child, identified as Kile Glover, according to various reports.
Kile is the son of Tameka Foster, the ex-wife of entertainer Usher Raymond, and Atlanta TV executive Ryan Glover.
“We know God’s in control, and are leaning on our faith in him and his word at this most difficult time,” the family said in a statement to CNN on Tuesday. “We firmly believe in the power of prayer and ask that you all continue to pray and lift Kile up, as it’s the best way we can all support him now.”
Citing unnamed sources, various entertainment news websites have reported that Kile is brain dead, but officials have declined to speak publicly about the child’s condition, citing privacy concerns.
Kile and a 15-year-old girl were injured around 3:30 Friday afternoon on Lake Lanier when they were run over by a man on a personal watercraft, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources previously told the AJC. Both victims were flown to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, with the boy’s injuries being much more serious.
Kile suffered a head injury and was unresponsive when pulled from the lake following the crash, the DNR previously told the AJC.
On Monday, the DNR identified the man on the personal watercraft as Jeffrey S. Hubbard of Atlanta, according to an incident report obtained by the AJC. He had not been charged Tuesday afternoon, the DNR said.
The DNR has declined to release the names of the juveniles involved in the collision. But late Sunday night, Channel 2 Action News, citing unnamed sources, identified the boy as Kile Glover, the son of Usher’s ex-wife. Usher and Tameka Foster divorced in 2009 after two years of marriage and have two children together. Efforts by the AJC to reach the family have been unsuccessful.
The DNR has said alcohol does not appear to be a factor in the incident, which happened in the mouth of Big Creeknear Holiday Marina. The DNR has said that Hubbard and the children tubing were part of the same group on an outing at the lake.
DNR rangers at the lake pulled the teenage girl from the water Friday afternoon, Sgt. Mike Burgamy said. Good Samaritans in a nearby boat pulled the boy from the water, Burgamy said.
The incident Friday came just four days after the funeral for two brothers killed in a June 18 boat wreck at the lake. Jake and Griffin Prince died when the pontoon boat they were on with family members was struck by a fishing boat.
Source: AJC