4 Drownings Prompt Pleas for Water Safety

Four people, including two children, have drowned in Riverside and San Bernardino counties since Friday, prompting officials to renew calls for water safety and supervision.

The latest death came Sunday night in Indio, when 33-year-old Antonio Herrera was pulled from a backyard swimming pool by Riverside County sheriff’s deputies and failed to respond to CPR.

A pair of 1-year-olds drowned in separate incidents Friday. In Rialto, Gabriel Rosales was found at the bottom of a pool and pronounced dead within an hour. In Desert Hot Springs, Claudia Ocampo was found floating face down in her pool by her father.

The San Bernardino County coroner also reported that Ezequiel Merino, 19, disappeared from a home in the 6000 block of Geremander Avenue in Rialto on Saturday, after excessive drinking, around 5 a.m. Merino was found almost three hours later at the bottom of a pool.

“More and more people are going to be cooling off in the water,” Riverside County Sheriff’s spokesman Dennis Gutierrez said.

“People who go in the pool should make sure to let their family members or friends know. If it’s a party, someone should designate a lifeguard to be cognizant of who’s in the water. Pool owners should also have safety equipment around and ... someone who knows CPR.”