From 11 Alive
24-year-old Central Georgia firefighter Michael Dewayne Jones died while rescuing three children. Jones drowned at Lake Tobesofkee while saving his two sons, 5-year-old Joshua and 7-year-old Jarell and a little girl who was also playing in the water.
“The little girl started drowning,” said Michael’s sister Tiffany Jones. “He saved her. My nephew started drowning; he saved him. My other nephew started to drown and somehow my other nephew got back in the water and started to drown.”
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His wife Tykia Richmond left the family at the lake for a run at a convenient store. She returned to her husband in the water and bystanders holding her children.
According to Marvin Riggins, Macon-Bibb County Fire Chief, Michael had been with the fire department for just a week.
“It’s gonna be tough for his training group because they learn to bond and grow together, so it’s gonna be tough,” Riggins said. “Our hearts are heavy for the family and for the department itself.”