(KMJ) – The Kings County Sheriff’s Office identifies the man who drowned while trying to “surf” in a canal off of the Kings River Saturday. Deputies say 31-year-old Jose Gomez was with a cousin when he tried to ride an inflatable raft on the spillway in the Empire Weir area.
The cousin told investigators that while Gomez was trying to get on the raft, he lost balance, fell into the water, and disappeared from sight.
Gomez was not wearing a life vest. Instead, he fastened a rope to a nearby pole and tied the other end around himself. But Deputies say that failed to save him.
