A weekend trip to Florida turned deadly for three young Birmingham-area fathers who died when they caught in a rip current on Panama City Beach.
Marius Richardson, 24, Jemonda Ray, 24, and Harold Hunter, 25, died after they were swept away by rip currents off Panama City Beach.The Bay County Sheriff’s Office identified the victims as Harold Denzel Hunter, 25, Jemonda Ray, 24, and Marius Richardson, also 24.
The three men were part of a group of six who arrived in Panama City Beach on Friday to stay at an Airbnb. Ray’s girlfriend, Richardson’s wife, and one of Hunter’s cousins also made the trip. All three swimmers were eventually rescued from the dark waters and sent to local hospitals for treatment where they died.“I called him ‘Dad,’ because he acted like my dad,’’ Richardson said. “He kept everybody with smiles on his face. He was the sweetest person.”“The detective told me they were trying to make it back to shore, but the current got the best of them,’’ Richardson said.Ray loved football, playing in Birmingham youth leagues and then at Jackson-Olin.
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