By Eric D. Lawrence
Detroit Free Press
Copyright 2008 Detroit Free Press
DETROIT — Hundreds of people packed the football field at King High School on Tuesday night during a candlelight vigil for two football players from the school who have died in the last week.
Senior Devinne Pettaway, 17, was pronounced dead at Detroit Receiving Hospital after he collapsed Monday afternoon, according to school district officials.
On Friday, Jameel Maddox, 14, died after leaving school.
Jameel’s mother, Cleotha Maddox, thanked the crowd for its support.
Information on the cause of death for the students was unavailable Tuesday.
But according to a union representative for Detroit’s Emergency Medical Services, a locked gate prevented an ambulance from quickly reaching Pettaway, who collapsed during gym class.
The locked gate and other issues the crew faced once they reached the school delayed rescue efforts by about five minutes, said union representative Wisam Zeineh.
That delay was coupled with an approximately two-minute delay between the time the 911 call was made and when an ambulance was dispatched, Zeineh said.
He noted that the delay between the time a call is received and the time a unit is dispatched is a long-standing problem in the city.
While he is unable to say whether the delay contributed to Pettaway’s death, Zeineh said a quick response is crucial to saving lives.
Detroit Public Schools spokesman Steve Wasko said he could not comment on any reported delays.
Zeineh said he has meetings scheduled with four Detroit City Council members over the next two weeks.
He also said he intends to speak with the other council members individually about the need to develop a plan for dealing with emergency calls from the city’s schools.