CHARLESTOWN, RI — A Narragansett man drowned when his canoe capsized, police said.
Charlestown police officers, firefighters and rescue service personnel were sent to School House Pond beach for a possible drowning shortly after 1:30 p.m. Sunday, the police department said in a media release.
"Upon arrival, first responders were directed to an area about 100 yards offshore where two adult males had overturned a fiberglass canoe while fishing," the release said.
First responders were informed that one of the boaters made it back to shore but the other, Jordan Monroe, 25, sank into the water while swimming, according to the release.
Police officers, with the assistance of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Police, "conducted a hasty water search and located Jordan Monroe a considerable distance offshore," the release said.
Monroe was taken to Westerly Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the release.
"Preliminary investigation indicates that neither occupant was wearing a life jacket, nor were any life jackets present in the boat during the incident," the release said.
"The beach is a swim at your own risk freshwater facility located on Narragansett Indian Tribal lands," according to the release. "The members of the Charlestown Police Department thank our mutual aid partners for their quick and valiant response."
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