Antoine Kadouno struggled to get the words out when talking about one of his best friends, 18-year-old Don Boma, who drowned in Ocean City Monday.
“At one point, I was trying to swim back to the shore, but the current was too strong and I realized that I wasn’t probably going to make it,” said Antoine. Antoine and his friend Kevin Savadogo were dragged away from the shore along with Don.
“From what I remember, we started screaming for help, especially Don,” said Kevin. “He was like, ‘Help, help, help!’”
Antoine and Kevin were rescued by lifeguards, but Don wasn’t as fortunate.
“It was really like a bad experience, the worst experience of my life,” said Kevin. “When we got out of the water, we started praying for Don to appear.” The teens say after Don was pulled under by the current, he was missing for 45 minutes before his body washed ashore.
Now the teens and friends, some of whom were also on that trip to Ocean City, are left mourning the loss of a young man.
They say Don loved to have fun, loved sports and was a first-year college student. He graduated from Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville last year. “Don was the nicest dude ever, as a friend. The way he treated me, he was always there for me,” said a tearful Antoine.
“He was a very good person,” said another friend, Rashida Wurie. “He didn’t deserve it at all. He was just swimming and unexpectedly the wave came and grabbed him. I don’t understand why this had to happen to him. He didn’t even go far at all.”
Don’s friends are trying to set up a vigil at Paint Branch High school in the coming days. They also set up a gofundme donation account to help Don’s family.
Don’s parents live in Cameroon, so they may have to send the teen’s body to his home country.
To help donate, go to http://www.gofundme.com/9un5c0
DC News FOX 5 DC WTTG
