Two people were pronounced dead in California on Thursday morning, March 15, shortly after a man and woman were heard fighting in the area.
The woman’s body was recovered around 7 a.m. from Lake Merritt in Oakland, officials
told KTVU.
She’s believed to be in her 20s.
The man’s body was pulled from the lake earlier in the morning. Crews found him “thrashing” in the water before they rescued him but he became unresponsive.
He was rushed to the hospital but declared dead just before 8 a.m.
Oakland Battalion Chief Zoraida Diaz
told East Bay Times that the police officers “saw there was a gentleman who was thrashing in the water and so they swam out. He started to slow down and they were able to retrieve him,” she said.
The man was believed to be in his 40s.
Witnesses made several 911 calls around 4:30 a.m., saying a man and woman could be heard yelling near the lake around the intersection of Hanover and Lakeshore avenues.
The nature of the argument was unclear, even to people who could hear the yelling.
“I heard them screaming,” one neighbor told KTVU. “I couldn’t make out the words, really.” She said she heard the woman’s voice saying, “help, help, help.”
Officers
told ABC 7 that they aren’t sure if the man and woman knew each other and, if they did, what their relationship was. They also don’t know if a crime was committed. Officers searched the area for nearby surveillance cameras to shed light on what happened.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Oakland Police at 510-238-3821.
Lake Merritt is a 3.4-mile tidal lagoon in urban Oakland. It has a 3.4-mile heart-shaped shoreline and is a popular place for people and animals alike. It is also home to the oldest designated wildlife refuge in the U.S.
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