EDWARDS — The Gouverneur man who drowned while trying to rescue a swimmer Saturday in Trout Lake was the president of St. Lawrence Zinc Co.

Michael J. Lawler, 55, of Gleason Street, went into the lake about noon to help a distressed swimmer but then succumbed to the water, state police said. His wife and family were present.

Neighbors pulled Mr. Lawler from the water and used cardiopulmonary resuscitation to try to revive him, according to Hermon Fire Chief Christopher R. Stransky, but Mr. Lawler was pronounced dead at E.J. Noble Hospital in Gouverneur later that afternoon.

Officials at the St. Lawrence Zinc Co., which is closed now but plans to reopen in the future, could not be reached for comment.

A state police investigation of the incident continues.

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