SPANAWAY, Wash. — A 19-year-old has sadly drowned while swimming on Spanaway Lake.
He went underwater while swimming in the lake on Friday afternoon and did not surface.
A person called 911 to report that he and his friend were swimming, and his friend, who did not know how to swim, continued to swim out further into the lake, where he could not touch the bottom.
“There is a high police presence for crowd control, and we ask everyone to stay out of the area while we continue our search efforts,” the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office said in an email. According to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office, the Pierce County Sheriff’s Marine Services and Dive Team found the teenager around 9:30 p.m. on Friday.
“I’ll tell you one thing it does, it’s makes you think twice about being safe,” Patrick Grant said, who lives off Spanaway Lake, “Every time this happens it’s like, ‘Oh gosh, what did that guy do that I need to make sure I don’t do.”
There have been five people, all males, who have drowned at Spanaway Lake since 2020. It includes brothers who were 14 and 15 years old who died in the summer of 2020.
“Water scares me.” Grant said, “That’s why all my kids know how to swim and grandkids all know how to swim.”
Grant says whenever he hosts people at his home, all kids wear life jackets no matter what. He hopes other people take this as a lesson to respect the water.
“Be safe out there, it’s beautiful. This is a warning to everyone else who wants to jump in the water to enjoy themselves: Make sure you’re ready for it.” Grant said.
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