A 23-year-old man drowned Saturday near the oldest marina on Lake Lanier, officials said.
It was the third death reported at the lake within the past two weeks and a tragic start to the Labor Day weekend.
Game wardens responded around 10 p.m. to a drowning call at Holiday Marina, Georgia Department of Natural Resources spokesman Mark McKinnon confirmed Sunday. The large floating marina is located on the south end of the lake near Lake Lanier Islands.
According to officials, the man was running down a dock when he slipped and fell in the water. “(He) did not resurface,” McKinnon said.
Hall County Fire Rescue later found the victim in 17 feet of water. He was identified as Gavrie Alexander Whitlock of Snellville.
Last Saturday, Gwinnett County firefighters and the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office were called to Lanier Park, near the Buford Dam, for a drowning and found the body of 23-year-old Edgar Steven Cruz in approximately 10 feet of water. He had been swimming when he went under the water and did not resurface, according to witnesses.
On Aug. 21, Brayan Tarasona, 22, went to Van Pugh Park on Gaines Ferry Road to swim, the Hall County Sheriff’s Office said. Witnesses said Tarasona swam into deep water and was attempting to get back to the shore when he went under.
Tarasona was removed from the water that evening with a remote vehicle and taken to the hospital in critical condition. He died about two hours later.
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