MILWAUKEE — New details suggest the victim who drowned at Milwaukee’s South Shore Park on Sunday was unable to swim and did not have a life jacket with him at the time of his death.
The victim has been identified as 22-year-old Margarito Velazquez Garduno, according to an investigative report from the Milwaukee County Coroner’s Office.
Velazquez-Garduno was kayaking with a friend near the park on the evening of July 21 while three others stood on shore looking on and taking photos. When Velazquez-Garduno tried to turn the boat, he leaned too far to the side, causing the kayak to capsize, according to the report.
Officers on scene learned Velazquez-Garduno had told his friends to stay close to shore because he was able to swim, and that his friends were not wearing life jackets at the time of his death.
A bag of marijuana was found in Velazquez-Garduno’s pocket as he was loaded into an ambulance, and the medical examiner determined he was under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol at the time of his death, but it is unclear whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of his death.
The 10 rescuers at the scene said they had had difficulty finding Velazquez-Garduno because of the dense vegetation on the lake bottom.
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