Shortly after his baptism, a 21-year-old man tragically lost his life while attempting to rescue a girl from drowning in a Texas lake.
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The Waxahachie Police Department reported that authorities responded to a drowning incident at Boat Dock Park on Lake Waxahachie at approximately 12:45 p.m. local time on Saturday, August 24. Upon their arrival, they learned that a man had drowned while attempting to rescue a girl.
According to police, a nearby boater rescued the girl. She was part of a large church group from Garland, Texas, from the water. She was successfully revived and transported to a hospital for additional care.
The 21-year-old male was recovered from the lake and transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced deceased,” the Waxahachie Police Department said, per their release.
The department withheld the victim’s name, but ABC affiliate WFAA reported that his family identified him as Lincer Lopez. According to Lincer’s family and friends, he was at the lake for his baptism. Following the ceremony, the church group was enjoying the water when a teenage girl began to drown.
Lincer’s uncle, Jacobo Lopez, expressed his excitement for the baptism so profoundly that he couldn’t sleep the night before.
“He was a hero,” Jacob told the outlet. “[Lincer] didn’t think twice about rescuing someone else. He didn’t think about the risk that he could die. And he did risk his life to save somebody else’s.”
An Eyewitness Gives Their Account of the Newly Baptised Hero Who Saved a Drowning Victim
Meanwhile, Jacob Bell shared with the outlet that he was the boater who discovered the girl. He pulled her from the water and administered CPR.
“[Lincer Lopez] was a hero, he had just been baptized and gave his life to the lord, and our family, we pray for his family, and we pray for the little girl’s family. And he was a strong boy, they should be very proud of him,” Bell told the outlet.
His family is undoubtedly proud of him. Lincer, as his uncle noted, dedicated himself to construction work, sending money back to support his siblings in Mexico.
Meanwhile, a GoFundMe campaign was created to help the man’s family bring his remains back to his hometown of Chiapas, Mexico. As of this writing, the campaign has raised $34,418 of a $50,000 goal.
The campaign notes that Lincer was the eldest of 7 siblings.