BOULDER, Colo — The Boulder County Coroner's Office on Tuesday identified the young boy who drowned in Boulder Creek this past weekend as Romeo Alvarez.
The Boulder Police Department said police and fire units responded to a 911 call just before 5 p.m. that a 9-year-old child had fallen off his tube in Boulder Creek and was missing.
Around 5 p.m., first responders saw Romeo and pulled him from the creek near Broadway and Canyon Boulevard. The first responders administered CPR before taking him to the hospital. He was later pronounced dead.
“This is an unspeakable tragedy for everyone involved, especially the boy’s family,” said Deputy Fire Chief of Operations Jeff Long in a statement. “All our responders were there - police, fire, medics, our swift water crew. We got to him as quickly as possible, and it’s a terrible feeling to not be able to save someone. Especially when that someone is a child.”
“I can’t imagine how terrible this must be for the child’s family, and also our first responder community,” said Boulder Police Chief Maris Herold. “Today has been heavy for the City of Boulder, and we are all thinking of the family who just lost their child.”
Police said the boy's parents sustained minor injuries and were treated by medics at the scene.
Boulder officials are urging community members to use caution when recreating around water, especially during runoff season when waters are high.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Latest from 9NEWS
MORE WAYS TO GET 9NEWS
Subscribe to our daily 9NEWSLETTER for top stories from 9NEWS curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Next and Broncos content, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP
iTunes: http://on9news.tv/itunes
Google Play: http://on9news.tv/1lWnC5n
HOW TO ADD THE FREE 9NEWS+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE
ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for KUSA.
For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "9NEWS" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.
