A 28-year-old man drowned early Saturday after he fell into Monroe Harbor off Grant Park.
Christopher Carter, who lived at a homeless shelter in the 600 block of Lake Street in Evanston, was pronounced dead at 1:24 a.m. at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
Carter went to Blues Fest Friday night, where he met a group of suburban youths, Chicago police Detective James Hennigan said.
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The man walked with the youths toward the harbor, where they stood along the edge of the water, speaking with some people on a boat that had pulled near the shore. At about 11:45 p.m., the youths suddenly heard a thump and a splash, police said.
Police said they are unsure whether Carter lost his footing and fell into the water or tried to jump into the boat and missed.
One of the youths jumped in after Carter and pulled him to the surface, but Carter, who apparently could not swim, began pulling the youth down, police said.
Chicago Fire Department divers recovered Carter’s body about 1 a.m.
After conducting an autopsy Saturday, the Cook County medical examiner’s office ruled the death an accidental drowning.