Newly baptized 21-year-old drowns in lake trying to save 16-year-old, Texas family says
.png "The teenage girl was also at Lake Waxahachie with a church group, Texas police said.")
A 21-year-old trying to save a teenager drowned in the Texas lake where he was baptized just hours earlier, police and his family said.
Officers responded Aug. 24 at about 12:45 p.m. to reports of a drowning at Boat Dock Park at Lake Waxahachie, according to a news release from the Waxahachie Police Department.
Authorities learned a 21-year-old man, identified by his family to WFAA as Lincer Lopez, drowned while trying to save a teenage girl “in distress,” police said.
The teen was part of a large church group visiting from Garland, Texas, police said.
Witnesses told authorities that the group was enjoying the water after several baptisms were performed there, including Lopez’s, WBAP reported.
A boater, identified as Jacob Bell of Red Oak, pulled the girl from the water and revived her using CPR before she was taken to a local hospital, according to police and KTVT.
“I had a little brother die when I was 12, of drowning,” Bell told the outlet. “It’s always been a part of our family, water safety and looking out for people.”
The 21-year-old was recovered from the lake and taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police.
“He was a hero,” Lopez’s uncle Jacobo Lopez told WFAA. “He didn’t think twice about rescuing someone else.”
Lake Waxahachie is about a 40-mile drive south from Dallas.
This story was originally published August 26, 2024 at 2:36 PM with the headline "Newly baptized 21-year-old drowns in lake trying to save 16-year-old, Texas family says."
