SAN DIEGO (AP) – A Southern California medical examiner ruled the death of a Navy SEAL trainee a homicide, saying his instructor repeatedly dunked him during a pool exercise while the 21-year-old was struggling, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday.
Seaman James Derek Lovelace died of drowning May 6 in Coronado, California, with a heart problem as a contributing factor, the autopsy found. The homicide ruling does not necessarily mean a crime occurred, and the instructor has not been charged.
Lovelace of Crestview, Florida, who was in his first week of training, showed signs he was having difficulty treading water in fatigues, boots and a dive mask filled with water. While struggling, he was seen on surveillance video being dunked at least twice by an instructor, the report said.
He also slipped underwater several times as the instructor followed him around, continually splashing him for about five minutes, the report said. Several other instructors also splashed him.
Instructors are supposed to create adverse conditions by splashing, making waves and yelling at the students but they are reportedly advised not to dunk or pull students underwater, according to the report.