Update: Conservation Officers investigating death of Hebron man at Marina Shores

The Town of Chesterton posted the following update to their Facebook page on Friday, regarding Conservation Officers investigating death of Hebron man at Marina Shores:

Conservation Officers are investigating the death of a Hebron man who drowned at Marina Shores in Portage after experiencing an electrical shock, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is reporting.

According to the DNR, at 11 a.m. a Conservation Officer responded to the Marina Shores Marina after two men were electrocuted after entering the water. “One of the men went under the surface and was not immediately recovered,” DNR said.

Conservation Officers subsequently learned that an object had fallen from a boat into the water at D Dock and begun floating away. Gabriel Gonzalez, 21, and his brother, Francis Gonzalez, 23, both of Hebron, were nearby and saw the object

“Gabriel voluntarily entered the water to retrieve the object for its owner,” the DNR said. “After retrieving the object, he swam toward D Dock and appears to have entered a field of electricity before going under the surface. Francis Gonzalez witnessed his brother go under and immediately entered the water in an attempt to rescue him. As Francis swam toward the area, he was affected by the electrified area but remained on the surface.”

A Good Samaritan promptly retrieved a throwable flotation device, tossed it to Francis, and successfully pulled him to safety. Francis was then transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and later released.

Once the water was determined to be safe, divers from the Portage Fire Department entered and recovered Gabriel Gonzalez. Lifesaving efforts were immediately applied but Gabriel was later pronounced deceased at hospital.

“With help from a licensed electrician, the likely source of the electricity in the water was determined to be a piece of equipment belonging to a nearby slip holder,” the DNR said. “All the docks at the marina were checked for electrical current in the water, and no additional electrical fields were found at the time. Due to the ongoing investigation, no additional information regarding the source of the electricity will be released.”

The DNR urges the public never to enter the water near any dock served by electricity due to the risk of electrocution and drowning.