His Last Act: Saving 2 Kids From Drowning

A Missouri man jumped into Lake Michigan to save two children from drowning, but was unable to save himself. Thomas J. Walker, 40, died Sunday after rescuing the two boys, who were his relatives, at the lakefront in Racine, Wisc., per CNN and TMJ4. He'd entered the water near a pier north of North Beach and Zoo Beach to assist the pair as they struggled. They were able to get out of the water because of his actions, but he couldn't get out himself, Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling tells the Journal Times, which reports the area was not monitored by lifeguards.

The National Weather Service had warned of hazardous conditions along Lake Michigan, including waves of up to 5 feet, per TMJ4. Walker was found in the water around 4pm, about an hour after first responders had arrived on the scene, and pronounced dead at a hospital. "How we lost him is a testament to how great an uncle and all-around guy he was," Walker's family said in a statement released by the sheriff's office. The sheriff’s office commended "the heroic actions of the man who assisted in saving the lives of these two young children" in its own statement, per CNN.

If confirmed, this would be the fourth drowning death on the Racine lakefront this summer, following those of a 10-year-old girl, 17-year-old boy, and 14-year-old girl in June, per the Times. "This, like the other unfortunate drownings this summer, are tragic, incredibly sad, and preventable," Schmaling said, urging people to investigate lake conditions before entering the water and "take all necessary precautions." As of Aug. 11, there had been 56 drownings in the Great Lakes this summer. Nearly half of those—24—were in Lake Michigan. (More drowning stories.)