Montreal

Friends, family gather for funeral of 14-year-old who drowned in a Rosemont pool

Moukoko’s parents, Jean-Claude Moukoko and Évelyne Mavoungou-Tsonga, are now considering suing the city and the school board according to their lawyer, Jean-Pierre Ménard.

Blessing Moukoko, who was in Grade 8, was described as 'full of life and kindness'

Blessing Moukoko, who was in Grade 8, drowned after taking part in a swimming class in mid-February at Centre Père-Marquette, a municipal community centre across the street from École Père-Marquette. (CBC)

Friends and family of Blessing Moukoko, the 14-year-old who was found dead in a municipal pool in Rosemont last month, gathered today for his funeral.

Some of Blessing's classmates wore hoodies bearing a photo of him depicted as an angel at the open-casket event, which took place at Église Sainte-Odile in Cartierville.

A fundraising page set up to support Blessing's family describes him as a charming young man, who loved basketball and was "full of life and kindness."

Blessing, who was in Grade 8, drowned after taking part in a swimming class in mid-February at Centre Père-Marquette, a municipal community centre across the street from École Père-Marquette.  

Blessing died on Feb. 21, after fighting for his life in hospital for a week.

Some of Blessing Moukoko's classmates wore hoodies bearing a photo of their deceased friend depicted as an angel to the open-casket event, which took place at the Magnus Poirier funeral home in Mercier–Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

Parents consider legal action

Blessing's parents, Jean-Claude Moukoko and Évelyne Mavoungou-Tsonga, are now considering suing the city and the school board (CSDM), according to their lawyer, Jean-Pierre Ménard.

They're waiting to hear the conclusions of several investigations, including that of Quebec's coroner's office, to determine if the school and municipal authority supervision was lacking.

"In this kind of procedure, there are fairly strict rules of supervision to control the comings and goings of all children," Ménard said.

"We do not have the exact details of what happened, but obviously there are things that should have been done that have not been done here."

Blessing Moukoko, 14, died Wednesday after being found unconscious at a pool in Rosemont. (GoFundMe)

With files from Radio-Canada, Presse Canadienne, and CBC's Matt D'Amours