A man who fell off his personal watercraft in a South Carolina lake was shot and killed by the boater who rescued him in what prosecutors have called an act of self-defense.
The incident unfolded on Lake Keowee near Salem, South Carolina, on March 15, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Deputies were dispatched to the man-made lake in response to a reported shooting involving a boater and a wave runner.
Law enforcement said a couple was on a pontoon boat when they saw a man and woman in distress in the water. The pair had reportedly fallen off a water scooter and were not wearing life jackets.
The boaters rescued them while the watercraft continued “doing circles in the lake,” the sheriff’s office said.
But according to the release, the man who was rescued “became agitated and began assaulting the couple on the pontoon.” Investigators said he might have wanted to get back on the water scooter. The woman who had been with him then pushed him in the lake in an attempt to deescalate the situation, law enforcement said.
The husband and wife helped the man back onto their boat.
“After a second encounter, the man on the pontoon shot the man fearing for his and his wife’s life while being assaulted,” the sheriff’s office said. “The man who was shot died on the pontoon.”
According to the news release, the man and woman on the water scooter may have had an argument before they fell off.
The 10th Circuit Solicitor’s Office determined the shooting was in self-defense and said no charges will be filed. The victim was identified as Nathan Drew Morgan.
Law enforcement have not released the names of the other individuals involved.
Morgan, 29, was a native of Asheville, North Carolina, and lived in Walhalla, South Carolina, according to his obituary. He “enjoyed being on the water, fishing, sitting around a campfire, and playing basketball,” his obituary states.
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