Deputies found the body of a 20-year-old college student on Monday, April 25, about three hours after he jumped into a lake in rural East North Carolina and failed to resurface, according to a local sheriff’s office.
Police did not identify the student by name, but said he attended Guilford College and lived in Greensboro.
The president of Guilford College confirmed the “tragic death” of sophomore Ahmad Brewington in a statement posted on the university’s website. He played football for college during his freshman year in 2019 and had attended Grimsley High School in Greensboro, according to the Quakers roster.
“Guilford College and President Kyle Farmbry are saddened to share that student Ahmad Brewington passed away unexpectedly on April 25,” the college said in a Facebook post. “Please join us in keeping Ahmad’s loved ones in the Light.”
A group of 10 students from Guilford College called 911 around 4 p.m. after Brewington jumped into the Tuckertown Reservoir and did not resurface, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release. First responders from both Montgomery County and nearby Stanly County responded.
Brewington’s body was found about three hours later, according to the release. Police have not released a cause of death.
About 25,000 people live in Montgomery County, about 100 miles east of Charlotte. The reservoir is located at the intersection of three counties: Montgomery, Stanly, and Davidson.
Grimsley football — where Brewington earned all of the conference honors and was named the first-team all-area strike — called him the “most selfless player to come through the Whirlie program” in a tribute on Facebook after his death was announced .
Brewington also worked for Chick-fil-A, where the restaurant said he “always had a frosted lemonade in hand.”
“His smile was infectious and he will be missed! Please raise his family in your prayers,” the Chick-fil-A at Battleground Plaza said in a Facebook post.
His father, Chris Brewington, shared a post saying he was so proud of his son. Brewington’s aunt also said in a post on Facebook just after midnight that there were “no words to express the heaviness I feel right now.”
“This young man set standards, had goals that he diligently pursued,” she said in a follow-up post. “To lose him now…..just unbelievable. Just heartbroken.”
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