CINCINNATI — The family of Kyle Jacob Plush, the Cincinnati teen who suffocated in a van last week after calling 911 twice, stormed out of a council meeting Tuesday evening.
Plush, 16, was found dead by his father on April 10, about six hours after he made the first 911 call, according to WCPO in Cincinnati. A preliminary autopsy report indicated that he died of asphyxia due to compression of his chest.
Plush's family sat through five hours of testimony during a Cincinnati City Council special meeting, WCPO reported. The teen's death has been ruled accidental.
During closing statements, councilman Wendell Young implied the family may seek financial compensation for the teen’s death, saying, “there’s no amount of money that’s going to make you happy.”
“It’s not about the money!” Ron Plush, the teen’s father, yelled from the crowd.
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Young continued to talk, replying “I believe that. There’s no amount of blame that is going to make this …”
Ron Plush’s brother, Robert, angrily stood up.
“That’s the most insensitive thing I’ve ever heard,” he shouted. “You guys were doing great until this guy started talking. I’m sorry, you’ve crossed the line. You have crossed the line.”
The family then left the meeting.
Who was Kyle Plush? Community remembers teen crushed to death by van seat
Sixteen-year-old Kyle Plush was remembered by his former Mercy Montessori School classmates, teachers and alumni as a creative, vibrant and kind child during a prayer service held Thursday night, according to our partners at WCPO.
The teen died two days earlier in the parking lot of Seven Hills High School he was trapped in the van’s third-row bench seat and it fatally crushed him.
Plush attended Mercy Montessori from kindergarten to sixth grade. According to Principal Patty Normille, his empathy for others, love of science and relentless positivity distinguished him as a “small guy with a big personality.”
Although he lived with spinal developmental problems and other medical issues that impeded his physical mobility, he loved sports, even participating in athletics at Seven Hills School as a member of the tennis team.
Investigators believe Plush may have been retrieving a tennis racquet from his Honda Odyssey when he became trapped inside the van, where he suffocated due to chest compression, according to WCPO.
Hamilton County prosecutors are launching a full investigation to determine exactly what happened when Plush, who made two 911 calls begging for help, was not immediately responded to and reportedly ignored by the 911 operator.
In the last moments of his life, Plush told the operator: "Tell my mom I love her.