21-Year-Old Drowns Saving Girl in Texas Lake

Texas Man Drowns Saving Teen in Lake Waxahachie

A family mourns after a man in Texas drowned when he jumped into Lake Waxahachie to save a teenage girl in distress, according to police.

A 21-year-old man died around 12:45 p.m. on Saturday at Lake Waxahachie in Waxahachie, Texas, while attempting to rescue the girl who was part of a large church group from Garland, Texas, as the Waxahachie Police Department stated in a Facebook post.

The girl was eventually pulled out of the water by a Red Oak, Texas boater and revived after receiving CPR. She was then taken to a hospital for additional medical care.

The man was recovered from the lake and also taken to a hospital, but he was later pronounced deceased, according to the social media post. Police did not release the name of the young man.

"The Waxahachie Police Department, along with the entire community, would like to extend our deepest condolences to the victim's family," the Facebook post said.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner identified the man as Lincer López, WFAA reported. USA TODAY contacted the medical examiner's office on Monday but did not receive a response.

GoFundMe Page Created for Lincer López

A GoFundMe was started for Lincer Mejía López, identifying him as the man who drowned at Lake Waxahachie at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday. The page seeks the public's help to raise funds to transport López's body to his hometown of Chiapas, Mexico, where his loved ones await.

López was the oldest of seven siblings, according to the GoFundMe.

"All Friends wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of LINCER MEJÍA LÓPEZ Thank you for your support and expressions of affection towards his family GOD BLESS YOU," the fundraiser page's description says.

The GoFundMe, aiming for $25,000, has already gathered over $13,200 in donations.

'He was a hero'

López's family and friends told WFAA that he was at Lake Waxahachie that day for a baptism. After members of the church were baptized, the teenage girl with the group began drowning, prompting López to dive in to save her, the Dallas-based TV station reported.

Jacobo López, his uncle, said his nephew was looking forward to his baptism so much that he could not sleep the night before.

"He was a hero," Jacobo López told WFAA. "He 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."

López also sent money he earned from his construction job to his siblings in Mexico, Jacobo López told WFAA.

"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," Jacobo López told the TV station. "And he was a strong boy, they should be very proud of him."