Friends of 16-year-old who drowned in Lake Houston mourn near the water

LAKE HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A 16-year-old drowned at Lake Houston, East End Park Saturday evening, police say.

Friends of the victim identified him to ABC13 as Isaac Lagunas. They say they were swimming out on the beach before 8 p.m.

Police said Isaac tried swimming from one island to another and didn't resurface.

Issac's friend paid their respects near the water he drowned.

"He was my best friend he played baseball he had lots of friends he was always looking for people to hang out with him have fun with," Isaac's best friend, John Pasquarelli said.

John said he and Isaac were out on the lake meeting with a group of girls. They went into the water and began the difficult swim across to the beach to meet their friends.

"He wasn't pacing himself. I had the feeling I was going to go down, so I was trying to get to other side as fast as I could. I was already halfway there. He was probably a quarter of the way. He made it about a third of the way and once I got there, I turned around and he's like struggling a lot," John said.

A group of Isaac's friends said they will remember him as someone who always lit up the room.

"(He was an) amazing, caring, nice person. He was funny. He always knew how to put a smile on someone's face. He always had a smile on, no matter what he was, just the most happiest boy I know. He didn't deserve this. He always made someone, you know if youre down, he tried to cheer you up and try to get your mind off of things," a group of friends said.

John's dad, Gregory Pasquarelli, said there needs to be signs out by the water.

"Had there been some kind of warning about the depth of the water, or previous drownings, or just something to tell somebody to be careful. He might have made the decision to not go across it, but there's nothing there," Pasquarelli, said.

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