Near-drowning victim dies

GAINESVILLE - The toddler who nearly drowned in a swimming pool at his East Hall home Friday night has died.

John Michael McConnell, the 3-year-old son of John and Stephanie McConnell, died Tuesday.

He had been airlifted in critical condition to an Atlanta children's hospital shortly after the incident.

Col. Jeff Strickland of the Hall County Sheriff's Office says the incident happened about 8:00 Friday night at the family's home on Old Miller Lake Road.

Strickland says there was some sort of gathering at the house and that the 3-year-old wandered away and was found in the swimming pool after a brief search and may have been in the water "five-to-ten minutes."

He says EMTs "worked on" the toddler at the scene before taking him to Northeast Georgia Medical Center. It was from there that he was taken to Atlanta.