FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — Heartbreak at Shaver Lake.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office recovered the body of a 16-year-old boy at Camp Chawankee on Sunday after authorities say he didn’t resurface after going into the water.
“About 12:40 pm, we had an incident where a young man jumped off of the pontoon to go swimming, had a little struggle in the water and immediately went underwater,” Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Chris Tullus said.
Sgt. Tellus says from what the investigation has gathered so far, the teenager was being safe.
“From our gathering, he was wearing his life jacket. We’re still investigating how he managed to go under the water,” Sergeant Tellus said.
One of the four other people on the boat tried to rescue the 16-year-old before authorities arrived.
“We had boats on the water, they got the call, they immediately went out there,” Sgt. Tellus said.
The teenager was found about 15 feet underwater. Investigators say it was a team effort to get him into a rescue boat, but the 16-year-old died.
Hours after the drowning, Fresno County Fire posted to social media offering tips for water safety.
Authorities say although the water looks inviting, you can never be too sure.
“Sad. Very sad and unfortunate,” Tiffani Delgado said.
Delgado was heartbroken to hear about the drowning that happened not far from where she was with her family.
“Especially when you think you’ve taken all your precautions and you’ve got your family around with you, hoping that they’ll just be just as vigilant,” Delgado said.
The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office says they have two patrol boats on the water and will reevaluate if they need more deputies on the water as we get closer to the 4th of July.
Authorities say they are still trying to piece together what happened with the 16-year-old boy as this investigation continues.
