Lake Lanier.Photo:Marilyn Nieves/Getty
Marilyn Nieves/Getty
A 24-year-old man has died after jumping into Lake Lanier in Georgia, according to authorities.
A family friend had unsuccessfully attempted to pull Thomas out of the water after the victim was heard screaming, the sheriff’s office said.
A cause of death has not been released.
The neighbor who pulled Thomas from the water described experiencing “a burning sensation he recognized as an electric shock,” the FCSO said. The individual then swam ashore and turned off a power box before returning to the water in hopes of rescuing the victim.
The victim’s uncle performed CPR on his nephew until emergency crews arrived, according to the press release.
Thomas’ mother Martha said her son grew up at the lakeside property, which the family has owned for more than 60 years, according toCBS affiliate WANF.
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The young man also had a “huge” following on XBox and “hosted a Dungeons and Dragons group at the Lakehouse every Wednesday,” his mother said in a statement.
“Most of all, Shepard was gentle and kind, loving and accepting. He didn’t care what your beliefs were; politically, racially, sexually. Everyone was equal in his eyes,” she explained.
Lake Lanier is known for its dark history. In the 1950s, the Army Corps of Engineers built the lake atop a community once known as Oscarville, where racial tensions ran high in the early 1900s, according to theAtlanta History Center’s website.
A cemetery is also believed to be located underneath the waters of Lake Lanier, where over 200 people have died since 1994, according toCNN.
Fashion designer Tameka Foster, who was previously married toUsher, has called for the draining of Lake Lanier after her son Kile Glover was hit and killed in a 2012 jet ski crash, according to theNew York Post.
In May, a petition was launched onChange.orgdemanding the lake be drained, cleaned and restored. The petition also requests improved safety measures on the lake.
source: people.com
