Lifeguards warned bathers; Boy drowned in unsupervised area.

Byline: Scott J. Croteau

WORCESTER - Twice on Saturday lifeguards from across the pond at Coes Beach warned people swimming and relaxing on floating toys at the closed Hillside Beach to get out of the water and come to the open public beach.

A family friend of Milan Chapman, 6, of Webster, said yesterday he was amazed that the boy was actually in the water, considering his fear of it.

About a half-hour after the second warning from lifeguards, Milan was found unconscious in the water. He was pronounced dead at 3 p.m. at St. Vincent Hospital.

"It is my understanding that at midday, and then at approximately 2 p.m., our lifeguards paddled out and provided warning to people on floating devices and in the water that it was not a beach and to come over to the public beach," said City Manager Michael V. O'Brien, who several times during an interview yesterday called the boy's death a tragic accident.

"Clearly, those warnings were not heeded," he said. "I'm deeply saddened by the tragedy, and my thoughts are with the boy's family."

A family friend, who is related to the boy's mother through marriage, said yesterday the family is still not exactly sure what happened Saturday. The adult baby sitter watching Milan had watched him before and was trusted by his mother, Sileema Dunston, who lived with Milan, her only child, at 153 N. Main St., Webster.

"If anything, Milan had a fear of the water," said Joseph Hurley, 60, of Millbury. "He was not a water person."

Milan was not a good swimmer, he added.

Ms. Dunston was at work - Mr. Hurley declined to say where - when she got the call about what happened to her energetic child, who was attending St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School on Main Street in Worcester.

Milan used to say he wanted to be dunking and hitting jumpers as an NBA player, Mr. Hurley said. He would play sports, and his hand-eye coordination, evident in his video-game playing, was exceptional.

"He was imaginative," Mr. Hurley said. "People are going to remember him smiling, with big eyes and dreadlocks. He's got a look in his eyes that is part mischievous, part energetic and part `I'm going to make something of myself.'"

Mr. Hurley said Milan was always "on the go" and always appreciative of gifts. Mr. Hurley spent Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with Milan.

One Christmas, Mr. Hurley and his wife gave Milan some Spiderman gear, a superhero the boy was enamored with at the time.

"The first thing he did was give us a hug, and then he was off acting like Spidey," he said. "He was jumping from place to place doing his Spiderman things."

Ms. Dunston, 26, worked hard for her son, Mr. Hurley said. If he needed extra help with homework, she would adjust her work schedule so she could help him. His family didn't have a lot of money, but that didn't stop Milan from using boxes or cushions to hide or have fun.

The loss is immense for the family, but they are surrounding Ms. Dunston with comfort, Mr. Hurley said. Many family members are helping the young mother right now, he said.

Jonathan DeLeon, one of three people who helped pull the boy out of the water Saturday, said the baby sitter told the group of people there that she was looking for Milan after she didn't see him return from the bathroom.

Police called the drowning accidental and said they don't foresee any criminal charges.

The gate to the swimming area, that residents of the adjacent Worcester Housing Authority's Lakeside Apartments said was always open, was padlocked yesterday. Tattered police tape was wrapped around the black fence post.

A small board rested against the fence - "R.I.P." written on it.

Residents at Lakeside Apartments said yesterday that they swim at the beach often, even though a clearly posted sign says - in three languages - that the beach is closed and that swimming is not allowed there.

Carmen Bolque said she often went swimming there with her husband and two sons, age 13 and 15.

"We didn't care. We just wanted to have fun," she said. "My husband was always watching us."

But Milan's death shook Ms. Bolque. Even if authorities open the fenced-off beach, she said, she doesn't want to go there anymore.

"I was crying all night. He was just a baby," she said. "I don't want anything to happen again."

Elizer Quinones, an 11-year-old who lives at Lakeside Apartments, said yesterday that Milan was a friend who visited his home often. With other friends, the boys used to ride their bikes around the neighborhood and go swimming in the pond. But Elizer said he's afraid to go in the water now.

"I'm afraid that if I go deep, deep, then I will drown," he said. "I don't go by myself, because if something happens, there will be nobody to save me."

Riley T. Hartnagel, 12, who also frequents the beach, said the water can be tricky.

"It's shallow, then all of a sudden - boom! - it goes straight down," he said.

City officials said they are reviewing the incident. District 5 City Councilor Frederick C. Rushton, whose district includes the beach, said unsupervised "watering holes" will be added to the City Council's review of pools and beaches in the city. A council subcommittee is reviewing the city's pools and beaches.

"The most important thing is saying prayers for Milan and his loved ones," Mr. Rushton said. "The city is not going to shy away from a full and appropriate review."

Raymond V. Mariano, executive director of the Worcester Housing Authority, said the gate to the beach area has been open for at least a decade. It is not the property of the Worcester Housing Authority, he said.

Mr. O'Brien said he spoke with several city staff members yesterday.

"Based on a debriefing with city staff, our records show that is a Worcester Housing Authority fence, but the entire matter is under review," the city manager said.

The fence was placed around the area several years ago because people in cars were driving down to the beach and there was some illegal activity.

Priyanka Dayal of the Telegram & Gazette staff contributed to this report.

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: Milan Chapman, 6, of Webster, drowned Saturday at Coes Pond. He was a student at St. Peter Central Catholic Elementary School in Worcester.