A 17-year-old from Benton Harbor is dead after he dove off the south pier in St. Joseph Saturday evening and drowned. The Berrien County Sheriff’s Department says deputies were called to Silver Beach around 7:20 p.m. on a report of a teen who jumped off the pier and didn’t resurface. Personnel from the sheriff’s department, the St. Joseph Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Coast Guard, and Medic One responded and began a search. At 9:20 p.m., the sheriff’s department’s marine division found 17-year-old Travonne Shannon in about 14 feet of water. He was taken to Lakeland Hospital and pronounced dead. Shannon was a junior at Benton Harbor High School, and the sheriff’s department says counselling services are being provided to his family. Police remind everyone that pier jumping is dangerous, and should never be done.
Photo courtesy of Mark Parren.
