A young man from northern Texas tragically drowned just an hour after being baptized while trying to save a teenage girl struggling in a lake.
On a Saturday afternoon, 21-year-old Lincer Lopez had just been baptized in Lake Waxahachie, taking an important step in his faith. But shortly after, a girl began to drown, and without hesitation, Lopez jumped into the water to help her. Unfortunately, while trying to save her, he also began to struggle. A nearby boater arrived and pulled both Lopez and the girl out of the water. The girl was saved through CPR, but Lopez was pronounced dead at the hospital.
His uncle, Jacob Lopez, spoke about how brave his nephew was. “He didn’t think twice before jumping in to help. He didn’t care about the danger to himself. He was willing to risk his life to save someone else’s,” said Jacob.
Both Lopez and the girl were part of a large church group from Garland that had come to the lake for several baptisms earlier that day.
Jacob Bell, the man who pulled them from the water, said the tragedy touched him deeply. He revealed that his own brother had drowned at just three years old. “It’s hard. I’m still processing it,” Bell told local news.
He added, “Lopez was a hero. He had just given his life to the Lord through baptism, and now he’s gone. My heart goes out to his family and to the girl’s family too. He was a strong young man, and they should be proud of him.”
A GoFundMe page has been set up to support Lopez’s family. It has already raised over $30,000 to help send his body back to his hometown in Chiapas, Mexico.
The page asks for help from the community and notes that Lopez was the oldest of seven siblings. The family hopes to raise enough money to bring him home to his loved ones for a proper burial.
