Four people have been accused of the death of a 5 -year -old boy who was killed inside a pressurized oxygen chamber that exploded in a suburban medical center in Detroit.
Thomas Cooper de Royal Oak, Michigan, was declared dead on the scene. His mother was standing by the camera and suffered wounds in his arms when he exploded on January 31 at Oxford Center in Troy.
Online judicial records show that the founder and executive director of the center, Tamela Peterson, is accused of second degree murder. The other defendants are Gary Marken, 65, and Gary Mosteller, 64, accused of second degree murder and involuntary homicide; and Maffitt’s fin, 60, accused of involuntary homicide and placing false medical information in a medical record table.
The charges were scheduled on Tuesday afternoon at Troy’s district court, Lieutenant Ben Hancock said. The case is being prosecuted by the attorney general of Michigan, Dana Nessel, and the details were expected to be released during a morning press conference.
Raymond Cassar, Marken’s lawyer, said that the second degree murder position is “a total shock” for him and his client.
“For justice, it is presumed innocent,” said Cassar. “This was a tragic accident and our thoughts and our prayers are with the family of this little child. I want to remember everyone that this was an accident, not an intentional act. We will have to leave this to the experts to discover what the cause of this was.”
Moffitt’s lawyer, Ellen Michaels, declined to comment before reading positions on Tuesday. Associated Press left a telephone message on Tuesday morning in search of comments from Peterson’s lawyer. A lawyer did not appear for Mosteller.
A voice email was left in search of comments from a lawyer who represents the Oxford center. The AP also left a message in search of comments from the center.
Oxford Center had said in an email after the explosion that began a fire inside the hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
“The security and well -being of the children we serve is our top priority,” said the center. “Nothing like this has happened in our more than 15 years of providing this type of therapy. We do not know why or how this happened and we will participate in all the investigations that must now take place. ”
Increases in hyperbaric therapy offer pure oxygen to the body of a person inside the pressurized chamber. That is up to five times the amount of oxygen in a normal room, said Troy Fire Keith Young lieutenant after the explosion.
“The presence of such a high quantity of oxygen in a pressurized environment can make it extremely fuel,” said Young. “We did some initial investigation. This is very uncommon, so we are not sure what he took. ”
