FEDERAL WAY, Wash. — A 15-year-old who was underwater for about 30 minutes Sunday before he was pulled out of a lake in Federal Way has died, and his family is wondering why he was in the water.
Divers pulled Tope Akinlosotu from Steel Lake, and medics performed CPR. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Akinlosotu didn't know how to swim.
He either fell or jumped into about 12 feet of water and didn't come up.
Relatives told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Chris Legeros that Tope was a great student and a leader, an athlete who excelled in track, basketball and football.
His fellow Federal Way High School classmates put together a banner for him.
"The smile. You'll hear a lot about his smile. It lit up a room, it was contagious and it's full of life," said friend Caleb Dawson.
"Not only was he a friend, but he was a teammate, or as we call it, he was a brother," said student Peter Winn.
A vigil is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Federal Way High School, the Federal Way Mirror reported.