MILWAUKEE – New details indicate a drowning victim at Milwaukee’s South Shore Park Sunday was neither able to swim, nor in possession of a life jacket at the time of his death.
An investigation report from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office identifies the victim as 22-year-old Margarito Velasquez-Garduno.
On the evening of July 21st, Velasquez-Garduno was kayaking near the park with a friend while three others watched on shore and were taking pictures. The report indicates as Velasquez-Garduno attempted to turn his boat, he leaned too far to the side causing the kayak to capsize.
Officers on scene learned Velasquez-Garduno had told his friends he could now swim, so they would stay close to shore. The group also did not have any life jackets with them at the time of Velasquez-Garduno’s death.
A bag of marijuana was discovered in Velasquez-Garduno’s pocket while he was taken into an ambulance. It’s unknown if he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of his death, which has been ruled by the medical examiner
The ten rescue workers on scene had described difficulty in locating Velasquez-Garduno due to thick weeds at the bottom of the lake.
According to data shared from the Medical Examiner’s office, there have now been 15 drownings in the area of Cupertino and South Shore parks since 2010.
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