A sophomore student from St Louis died Wednesday after he was pulled from a pool on theMissouri Western campus.

22 year old DeRico Morris died hours after he was taken to Heartland Hospital.  He was unresponsive when a lifeguard pulled him from the pool in the Looney Complex.

“It’s just a tragedy,” said Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Western’s president. “We are all saddened by today’s events and offer our condolences to the young man’s family and will do all we can to help them in this difficult time.”

The sophomore had not declared a major.  He worked on campus as a student supervisor for the housing and residential life summer operations.

“DeRico had an outgoing personality and was described by those who worked with him as respectful, loyal and family-oriented,” said Dr. Esther Perález, student affairs vice president.  “He was a tremendous asset to the Western community.”

A small group of people were in the pool just before 2:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.  The lifeguard became concerned when he noticed Morris at the bottom of the deep end of the pool, which is 12 feet deep, Western spokesperson Kent Heier said.

The lifeguard pulled Morris from the pool and administered CPR while others called 911.

Counselors have met with students who knew Morris, and will be helping students get through the tragedy.

The pool will reopen Monday.