A man died in Buckeye Lake Monday evening despite being pulled from the water by an off-duty Buckeye Lake police officer.
Off-duty officer Andy Davis said the man jumped into the water to retrieve a sandal.
"He had his head up out of the water, yelling 'help, help'." Davis told 10TV News.
Davis said he heard the man screaming and jumped into action.
"I grabbed him. He was gasping for air. (I) Actually pulled him up to boat docks over here." Davis said.
According to police, the man, who was not immediately identified, was pronounced dead.
Jessie Willis saw the rescue effort.
"When they got 10 feet from the dock, the guy went under," Willis said. "Face down in the water and it took 4 or 5 people to pull him out of the water."
Davis began CPR on the unconscious man, 10TV News reported.
The Columbus Dispatch said the man was pronounced dead at Licking Memorial Hospital in Newark.
The man's name was not released.
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