Police: Man drowns trying to rescue several kids at beach

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An official in a North Carolina coastal town says a man has drowned trying to rescue children in the water.

The StarNews of Wilmington reports Wrightsville Beach Town Manager Tim Owens says in a news release on Monday that eyewitnesses said 35-year-old Johnny Lee Vann Jr. of Durham had tried to save several of his children from the water at the south end of the beach. They said Vann apparently experienced trouble during the attempt.

Owens says rescue personnel pulled Vann from the water but were unable to resuscitate him.