Authorities Identify Young Drowning Victim

LONGVIEW — Authorities have identified a six-year-old who died in a Shreveport hospital after nearly drowning in an East Texas lake over the weekend. That report comes from our news partner KETK. Longview ISD released the following information: “All of us at Longview ISD are saddened by the tragic loss of Aujaylin Johnson, a 1st grade student at J.L. Everhart, and we pray that his family can find peace. Our thoughts and prayers are also with his classmates and teachers. Parents of J.L. Everhart students are being informed of Aujaylin’s passing, so that they can discuss it with their own children. Grief counseling is also being made available to students.”

At 3:30 Sunday afternoon, Marion County Game Warden Charles Furlow, who was off duty, overheard radio traffic of a child missing at Lake O’ The Pines. Furlow, who is a member of the Texas Park and Wildlife Dive Team, grabbed his gear and made it to the scene in about eight minutes. In less than two minutes, he was able to find the six-year-old in 8 to10 feet of water.

At this point, Aujaylin had been in the water for around 20 minutes. CPR was conducted on shore for around 25 minutes before he registered a pulse. The boy was taken to a Longview hospital and then flown to a Shreveport hospital, where he died on Monday. Family members say Aujaylin knew how to swim, but went under about 30 feet from shore.