21-year-old celebrating baptism drowns saving girl in distress in Texas lake: Police

A family is mourning after a man in Texas drowned when he jumped in a lake to try and save a teenage girl who was in distress, police said.

A 21-year-old man died around 12:45 p.m. on Saturday at Lake Waxahachie in Waxahachie, Texas, when he attempted to rescue the girl, who was part of a large church group from Garland, Texas, the Waxahachie Police Department said in a Facebook post.

The girl was eventually pulled out of the water by a Red Oak, Texas boater and revived after being given CPR, police said. She was taken to a hospital for further medical care.

The man was recovered from the lake and also taken to a hospital, but he would soon be pronounced deceased, according to the social media post. Police did not release the name of the young man.

"The Waxahachie Police Department, along with the entire community, would like to extend our deepest condolences to the victim's family," the Facebook post said.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner identified the man as Lincer López, WFAA reported. USA TODAY contacted the medical examiner's office on Monday but did not receive a response.

GoFundMe created for drowning

A GoFundMe was started for Lincer Mejía López, and it identifies him as the man who drowned at Lake Waxahachie at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday. The page asks for the public's help to raise funds to transport López's body to his hometown of Chiapas, Mexico, where "his loved ones await."

López was the oldest of seven siblings, according to the GoFundMe.

"All Friends wish to express our deepest condolences to the family of LINCER MEJÍA LÓPEZ Thank you for your support and expressions of affection towards his family GOD BLESS YOU," the fundraiser page's description says.

The GoFundMe, which has a goal of $25,000, has already reached over $13,200 in donations.

'He was a hero'

López's family and friends told WFAA that he was at Lake Waxahachie that day for a baptism. Shortly after members of the church were baptized, the teenage girl with the group began drowning, prompting López to dive into the lake and save her, the Dallas-based TV station reported.

Jacobo López said his nephew was looking forward to his baptism so much that he could not sleep the night before.

"He was a hero," Jacobo López told WFAA. "He didn’t think twice about rescuing someone else. He didn’t think about the risk that he could die. And he did risk his life to save somebody else’s."

López would also send the money he earned from his construction job to his siblings in Mexico, Jacobo López told WFAA.

"He had just been baptized and gave his life to the Lord, and our family, we pray for his family, and we pray for the little girl's family," Jacobo López told the TV station. "And he was a strong boy, they should be very proud of him."