(WWJ) The death of a paddleboarder at Stony Creek Metropark over the weekend is being called a tragic accident.
According to authorities, a 48-year-old Shelby Township man drowned Sunday evening after, he went out on the lake on a standup paddleboard.
Craig Chynoweth, Assistant Fire Chief or Shelby Township, was among those who responded to the scene, shortly before 6 p.m. on July 19.
"The person was on a standup paddleboard, with friends and family," Chynoweth said, in a Monday interview with WWJ's Jon Hewett. "And then he went under the water and never came back to the surface."
Chynoweth said divers from the Shelby Township Search and Rescue Team were called in, and the man was found dead underwater, about two hours later.
The team was assisted by a Good Samaritan.
"There was a civilian who was there with a fishing boat that did assist with some fishing sonar, that helped us kind of pinpoint an area of interest," Chynoweth said. "And the divers were able to go down and locate the individual,"
The victim was not believed to be wearing a life vest, Chynoweth said.
The preliminary cause of death is drowning, officials said, pending results from the autopsy and toxicology results.
The incident remains under investigation by Metroparks Police.
The man's name was not immediately released.
