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A Shawnee man who was a well-known security guard at a local casino drowned Monday while trying to save his fiancé’s daughter at the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Murray County.
Greg A. Barker, 32, was pronounced dead at the hospital in Sulphur, said Eric Leonard, spokesman of the recreation park.
Leonard said the recreation area is known for its developed swimming areas, but Barker and a family group were in a semi-remote and seldom-used area about two miles west of that location.
Reports indicate his finance’s 8-year-old daughter began having difficulty while swimming in a stream near Veterans Lake Creek about 5 p.m. Monday.
That area is a wilderness water environment known as “40-foot hole,” Leonard said, because it has deeper water than most of the park’s designated swimming areas.
“It has unpredictable water and steep banks,” Leonard said about that 20-foot-wide creek area, adding it also has murky waters compared to other areas.
As the girl struggled, Barker went in to rescue her, he said. The child was able to get a hold of him and used him to get out of the water by “clinging to a tree,” Leonard said.
But Barker began struggling while saving the girl and was pushed under, he said. There was some difficulty getting emergency services to the remote area; a Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse police officer arrived first and began CPR, Leonard said. Barker was transported to the hospital in Sulphur, where he was pronounced dead.
The child also went to the hospital, where she was treated for unspecified injuries and released, Leonard said.
Barker’s official cause of death was confirmed Tuesday as drowning, said Cherokee Ballard, spokeswoman for the state Medical Examiner’s office. His manner of death is considered an accident, she said.
Because Barker died saving the child, he has been lauded by those leaving condolences for his family as being a hero.
“Greg was a great man and will be an angel in heaven. He died a hero and will always be remembered that way. RIP Greg! You were loved,” said one message left on the News-Star’s Web site.
“It’s a noble thing that happened but a very tragic thing,” Leonard said.
It was unknown why Barker and the group chose such a secluded spot, but Leonard said at this time of the year, many other areas of the park are especially busy.
Barker worked as a security guard at the FireLake Casino on Gordon Cooper Drive.
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Kim Morava may be reached at 214-3962.
A Shawnee man who was a well-known security guard at a local casino drowned Monday while trying to save his fiancé’s daughter at the Chickasaw National Recreation Area in Murray County.
Greg A. Barker, 32, was pronounced dead at the hospital in Sulphur, said Eric Leonard, spokesman of the recreation park.
Leonard said the recreation area is known for its developed swimming areas, but Barker and a family group were in a semi-remote and seldom-used area about two miles west of that location.
Reports indicate his finance’s 8-year-old daughter began having difficulty while swimming in a stream near Veterans Lake Creek about 5 p.m. Monday.
That area is a wilderness water environment known as “40-foot hole,” Leonard said, because it has deeper water than most of the park’s designated swimming areas.
“It has unpredictable water and steep banks,” Leonard said about that 20-foot-wide creek area, adding it also has murky waters compared to other areas.
As the girl struggled, Barker went in to rescue her, he said. The child was able to get a hold of him and used him to get out of the water by “clinging to a tree,” Leonard said.
But Barker began struggling while saving the girl and was pushed under, he said. There was some difficulty getting emergency services to the remote area; a Chickasaw Nation Lighthorse police officer arrived first and began CPR, Leonard said. Barker was transported to the hospital in Sulphur, where he was pronounced dead.
The child also went to the hospital, where she was treated for unspecified injuries and released, Leonard said.
Barker’s official cause of death was confirmed Tuesday as drowning, said Cherokee Ballard, spokeswoman for the state Medical Examiner’s office. His manner of death is considered an accident, she said.
Because Barker died saving the child, he has been lauded by those leaving condolences for his family as being a hero.
“Greg was a great man and will be an angel in heaven. He died a hero and will always be remembered that way. RIP Greg! You were loved,” said one message left on the News-Star’s Web site.
“It’s a noble thing that happened but a very tragic thing,” Leonard said.
It was unknown why Barker and the group chose such a secluded spot, but Leonard said at this time of the year, many other areas of the park are especially busy.
Barker worked as a security guard at the FireLake Casino on Gordon Cooper Drive.
———
Kim Morava may be reached at 214-3962.
