Mother says teen who drowned was bullied and pushed in the pool

HENRICO, Virginia -- "I'm going to miss waking him up in the morning for school, miss him talking, I'm going to miss him watching TV with me and playing games."

Those are the words of Angie Morton. A mother who recently lost her 16-year-old son Vernard.

He drowned in the deep end of their apartment complex pool in Virginia, and his mother wants answers.

Morton claims bullies pushed her son into the deep end. She said Vernard had a learning disability and was often bullied.

"They bullied him because he was different than other people," said Morton.

According to Morton, almost immediately after he got to the pool is when the incident happened.

He was apparently pushed into the deep end, hit his head, then sunk underwater.

Morton told WWBT-TV that the pool was packed with people, but no one helped her child.

"My son was at the bottom of the pool for over three minutes, and they looked at him like, 'oh he playing,'" said Morton.

Vernon ended up brain dead and died the next morning.

Police are investigating the drowning.

"My son died because these little boys dared him and forced him into the pool," said Morton.