High schooler jumps off dock roof into lake and doesn’t resurface, Oklahoma cops say

An 18-year-old drowned after he jumped into a lake during Fourth of July weekend, according to Oklahoma authorities and news reports.

The 18-year-old, identified by Grand River Dam Authority police as Zach Tawwater, had been swimming with friends Friday, July 5, at Grand Lake, according to KWTV. He jumped off a dock’s roof into the water, but authorities told the news outlet he did not resurface.

His body was eventually found 30 feet deep in the water, police told KFOR.

Tawwater’s drowning was the second in two days at Grand Lake, KOKH reported. The previous victim drowned when he jumped into the water to save a child, according to the news outlet.

Tawwater was entering his senior year at Bishop McGuinness High School in Oklahoma City, according to his profile on X, formerly Twitter. He had recently been offered to play football at Dartmouth, an Ivy League college.

“When we saw that offer, it was like, ‘It’s about time. You’re getting what’s due to you,’” Derek Washington, who coached Tawwater in basketball, told KOCO.

Washington said “everybody loved playing with” Tawwater, calling his death “devastating.”

This story was originally published July 8, 2024 at 8:06 AM with the headline "High schooler jumps off dock roof into lake and doesn’t resurface, Oklahoma cops say."