San Jose home daycare drownings leave 1st responders reeling; 'All of us are in shock'
SAN JOSE – Police in San Jose gave an update Tuesday in the investigation into a drowning that killed two children at a residential daycare facility Monday morning.
"Nearly 24 hours after this incident, all of us are in shock. Feeling the trauma, not just for the families involved, but also as a community," said Officer Steven Aponte, a spokesperson for the department.
UPDATE: 2 women arrested in connection with San Jose home daycare drowning deaths
Officers were called to a daycare at a home on the 1000 block of Fleetwood Drive in South San Jose around 9 a.m., performing a welfare check after reports of several children falling into a swimming pool at the home.
Aponte said Tuesday that two children who fell into the pool were in "severe medical distress" when they arrived, while a third child was also found in the pool. The children were taken to area hospitals.
"This is the type of call that's the worst a parent could receive," Aponte said.
Two of the children were pronounced dead. Aponte said that the children who died were under the age of five but would not give additional details.
A third child suffered non-life threatening injuries. Police did not give an update Tuesday on the child's condition.
Aponte said the incident has deeply impacted first responders who were called to the daycare.
"The officers who responded to scene, who were there and saw the incident and the saw the children, obviously also have gone through some trauma," he said. "And there will be internal department measures that will be taken to make sure they are okay."
Aponte said Tuesday that the investigation remains in the early stages and that the department will work with the District Attorney's office and other agencies in determining if charges would be filed in the case. The investigation is expected to take several months.