A man was fatally shot by his rescuer on a pontoon boat after being fished out of a lake in South Carolina, according to police.
Authorities say the violence unfolded after 29-year-old Nathan Drew Morgan and woman he was with, neither of whom were wearing life jackets, fell off their jet ski in Lake Keowee on Tuesday afternoon.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office say that a couple on a nearby pontoon boat saw Morgan and the woman “in distress in the water” and helped them onboard.
“The man, who had been rescued, became agitated and began assaulting the couple on the pontoon,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement.
“Investigators have been told that the man may have wanted to get back to the jet ski.”
The rescued woman then tried to de-escalate the situation by pushing Morgan, the father of a 10-year-old boy, back into the water.
The couple helped the man back onto the boat for a second time when another confrontation took place.
Authorities say that during this second confrontation the 74-year-old man on the pontoon boat, who has not been identified by officials, “shot the man fearing for his and his wife’s life while being assaulted.”
Morgan died on the pontoon boat from a gunshot wound to the chest, say officials.
Sheriff Mike Crenshaw told The Journal of Seneca that Morgan may have been intoxicated.
Investigators declined to file charges against the 74-year-old, ruling that the shooting was self-defense. The names of the elderly couple have not been released as they continue to grapple with the tragic situation, as does the pleasant resort community.
The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office also asked for “continued prayer” for the family of Morgan, described in his obituary as a man who “enjoyed being on the water, fishing, sitting around a campfire, and playing basketball.”
A native of Asheville in neighbouring North Carolina, the 29-year-old was a member of Flat Shoals Baptist Church and is survived by his father and son, the obituary reads.
Local man Michael Davitt told NBC affiliate WYFF4 that he watched the scene unfold from his backyard and called 911.
“This is a pretty crazy incident, I’d say pretty much anywhere, especially for a Tuesday,” Mr Davitt said.
He described “fisticuffs” and “a lot of swearing” before a shot rang out and he called authorities.
“I was screaming with them like, ‘What’s going on? Do you guys need any help?’” he said. “While on the phone with 911.”
He continued: “It was kind of more of a shocking moment for me, witnessing this entire thing because I wasn’t really sure what it was.”
On Facebook, tributes poured in for the late 29-year-old.
One childhood friend, Dillon Queen, wrote that he and Morgan had been “best friends even brothers.”
“If you knew Drew you would know one thing, and that is he was hard headed,” Mr Queen wrote. “He would argue with you about anything and everything if he thought he was right about it and if something was done a certain way he would argue it was wrong and that it should be done this way.
“I wouldn’t trade him for anything different though.”
He continued: “Yesterday was such a shock. I’ve had so many mixed emotions about all this. I’ve been sad to mad to crying to laughing about old times. It is just so hard to realize he isn’t here anymore ... Idk what happened on that boat yesterday but what I do know is my hard headed fearless loving brother is gone.”
