An off-duty police officer, who was a Round Lake Beach resident, was identified as the man who drowned on Petite Lake near Lake Villa Friday evening.
An autopsy showed Victor Lopez, 49, of Round Lake Beach, died as a result of drowning, according to Lake County Coroner Dr. Howard Cooper.
Lopez worked as a police officer for the Palatine Police Department.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit and Patrol Deputies along with the Lake Villa Fire Protection District responded around 5:45 p.m. Friday to the 38800 block of North Cedar Crest Drive in unincorporated Lake Villa.
Authorities received a 911 call of an unconscious person, later identified as Lopez, who had gone under the water while swimming near what is known as “The Sandbar” on Petite Lake, according to Lake County Sheriff Spokesman Sgt. Christopher Covelli said.
Sheriff Marine Unit deputies arrived at the scene first and found Lopez’s friends performing CPR on him.
The Marine Unit deployed an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and attempted to shock the man’s heart back to rhythm and render aid until paramedics arrived.
A preliminary investigation shows that Lopez had been at the sandbar for approximately two hours.
“All of a sudden, his friends could not locate the man and they began searching in the area where he was last seen,” Covelli said.
They found the man unconscious under the water near their boat. They immediately removed him from the water, administered CPR and boated him to shore.
Paramedics transported Lopez to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville where he was later pronounced dead.
Sheriff’s deputies found no immediate signs of trauma or foul play, Covelli said.
“We have been in close contact with Mr. Lopez’s family and our deepest condolences go out to them during this difficult time. This is truly a tragedy,” Cooper said.
The incident remains under investigation by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and Lake County Coroner’s Office.