RUSSELLVILLE, S.C. (AP) - A man who served as a football team chaplain for The Citadel in South Carolina was killed when his kayak overturned Tuesday morning, officials said.
Ra’Shaud Graham, 26, was in a kayak around several other people when the boat capsized near the Amos Gourdine Boat Landing in Russellville, Berkeley County Coroner George Oliver told news outlets.
Graham tried to swim to shore but went underwater, the coroner said. Divers with the county sheriff’s office pulled his body from the water and pronounced him dead at the scene, according to Natural Resources Capt. Robert McCullough.
Graham graduated from the military college in 2016 and later returned to be a campus representative for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization and a chaplain to the football team, The Citadel said in a statement Tuesday.
“We are going to hurt from this huge loss of one of our own,” football coach Brent Thompson said. “We will be forever grateful for the inspiration and guidance that he gave our football program.”
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