Dad drowns in lake trying to save kids who couldn’t get to shore, Minnesota cops say

Two children were struggling to get back to shore Sunday at a Minnesota lake, so their dad sprang to action.

But while the children eventually made it safely back to land, their dad did not. He died in a drowning incident at the lake, officials confirmed Monday.

The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office said Leland Michael Morris, 26, swam into Moore Lake to help his children around 5 p.m. The children, whose ages were not disclosed, were using flotation devices and had trouble swimming back to the shore.

Morris went under water and did not resurface. Meanwhile, the children’s mother and bystanders helped rescue the children safely, the sheriff’s office said.

Members of the Fridley Police Department and Fridley Fire Department were unsuccessful at locating Morris in the water. Divers from the sheriff’s office marine unit later found him unresponsive in the lake.

Morris was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where the sheriff’s office said he died overnight.

Moore Lake is about 10 miles north of Minneapolis.

The incident was one of three water accidents in Minnesota last weekend. A 9-year-old boy died at a swim facility Saturday, and a 12-year-old boy was hospitalized Friday following an incident at a water park, according to Minnesota publication Bring Me The News.

This story was originally published June 7, 2021 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Dad drowns in lake trying to save kids who couldn’t get to shore, Minnesota cops say."