A good Samaritan who shot and killed a drowning man he was attempting to save in South Carolina won’t face criminal charges in the bizarre case, authorities said.
Prosecutors said the unidentified gunman acted in self-defense when he fatally shot 29-year-old Nathan Drew Morgan, who was drowning Tuesday in Lake Keowee, WBTW-TV reported.
Police said Morgan and his pal tumbled off their jet ski without life jackets — and that the rescuer tried to help the pair by steering a pontoon boat to them.
But Morgan became combative after being pulled to safety, forcing the eventual gunman to push him back into the water. The man then opened fire when Morgan climbed back on board.
Nathan Drew Morgan was fatally shot after another man attempted to rescue him from drowning in Lake Keowee, South Carolina. Facebook/The JournalMorgan was fatally shot in the chest, the Oconee County Coroner’s Office ruled.
“Certainly have never seen anything like that or heard anything like that,” area resident Brandon Thomas told WSPA-TV following the incident.
“That’s very surprising, especially the area it was in,” he added. “That’s crazy. Definitely unexpected out here, for sure.”
Morgan allegedly became combative when a man attempted to rescue him from the water that he fell into from a jet ski. Facebook/The Journal
The rescuer pushed Morgan back into the water, and shot the 29-year-old when he climbed back into the boat. Getty Images/iStockphoto