Man drowns in Des Moines lake, 18th Iowa drowning this year

A Des Moines man drowned while swimming at a public beach in Des Moines on Wednesday afternoon. Gray’s Lake is a public waterway in the center of the capital city, not far from the Des Moines Waterworks. There’s no lifeguard there, and signs warn swimmers they frolic at their own risk. A man says he was swimming with a friend when his companion disappeared. Police and firefighters responded, and the fire-department people formed a human chain to sweep the lake near the shore where the swimmer was last seen. On their second pass they came across the man, in chest-deep water. Paramedics did CPR but he couldn’t be revived. He’s identified as 31-year-old Jose Reyes-Contreras of Des Moines. This makes Iowa’s 18th drowning victim so far this year.