RedactedNarrative: On June 27, 2018 at approximately 7:10 PM I responded by boat on NRP 873 to the Tolly Point area of Annapolis in response to a medical emergency suffered by a paddle boarder. My response time was hampered by rough seas and heavy wind. Large waves consistently crashed over the bow of the boat. I was able to maintain a speed of approximately 15 knots. I arrived on scene at approximately 7:12 PM. 
  
  At that time all 4 paddle boarders had been removed from the water by the Anne Arundel County Fire Department near 121 Bay Drive in Annapolis. One of the paddle boarders was in an Ambulance and was shortly thereafter transported to Anne Arundel County Medical Center. Fire department members advised me that Victim was in grave condition. Victim's condition was relayed to the communications center. I interviewed the remaining 3 paddle boarders. 
  
  During the course of the interview Subject1 stated that they left from Thomas Point on their paddle boards around 5:30 PM and were on the water for approximately 1.5 hours when the incident occurred near Tolly Point. Victim was in the rear of the group and situated a short distance behind Subject1. They were alerted to the emergency when Subject1 turned around and noticed that Victim was no longer on his board. He then went back and retrieved Victim from under the water and then inflated both of their PFDs. Shortly afterward, Subject2 and Subject3, who were approximately 100 yds ahead realized the situation and paddled back to Subject1 and Victim. Victim was placed on his paddle board and they attempted to paddle to shore. 
  At some point either Subject3 or Subject2 left the group and paddled to shore, where he alerted a bystander who called 911. According to paddle boarder's statement, they took turns performing CPR on Victim, but no pulse or breathing was observed. One of the group tried dialing 911 while on the water, but his phone would not work. I later met the 3 paddle boarders at the Arundel County Medical Center and obtained written statements from each of them.
  On Wednesday June 27that approximately 2020 hours, I, OFC was contacted by Sgt. to respond to Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) to investigate a fatal stand up paddle board accident. I was advised that the victim, later identified as Victim, had fallen from his paddle board. Victim was rescued and transported to AAMC by Anne Arundel Fire Department where he was pronounced dead. Weather conditions were winds out of the South 17 mph with gusts to 30 mph. The air temperature was approximately 76 degrees Fahrenheit and the water temperature was approximately 75 degrees Fahrenheit. The waves were reported to be between 2 - 4 feet. 
  
  The nurse advised me that Victim was a double amputee and had lost both of his arms in a previous accident. She also stated that she confirmed Victim identity through a Google search which produced numerous photo results. The nurse stated that there were numerous photographs of Victim paddle boarding and swimming. Sgt. arrived and provided me with additional information on Victim. The nurse then took us to the room where Victim body was located. Victim was in a closed body bag and a bag of personal items was with him. 
  
  I photographed Victim' body and possessions. Included in Victim' possessions were his deployed personal flotation device (PFD), a Camelbak hydration device which was attached to the strap of his PFD and a coiled lanyard which had been attached to Victim and his paddle board. While we were performing our inspection of Victim, I requested OFC to get written witness statements from Subject1, Subject3 and Subject2.  Victim' PFD was a MTI SUP Safety Belt. During the course of my investigation, I determined that Victim' PFD had been manually inflated by Subject1 while he was attempting to get Victim back on to his paddle board. Upon my inspection of the PFD it was fully inflated, the indicator on the inflation mechanism was red indicating that the carbon dioxide (CO2) cylinder had been discharged. The CO2 cylinder had corrosion on it and the labeling on the CO2 cylinder was unreadable. The labeling on the PFD showed the proper cylinder for that specific PFD was a 24 gram CO2 cylinder. There was an orange safety whistle attached to the zipper of the PFD waist pack and there was labeling on the front of the waist pack that indicated that the manufacturer was "MTI" and the PFD was US Coast Guard approved carried or worn. The description from the MTI web site for the MTI SUP Safety Belt at mtiadventurewear.com/products/inflatable/web4010-sup-safety-beltwhich was accessed on July 10, 2018 is as follows: 1.5mm neoprene back is soft against skin Zippered storage pocket fits even large phones in waterproof case 2 moveable D-rings on belt for attaching gear Indicator Window lets you know in an instant if PFD is armed for inflation, uses included bayonet style 24g CO2 cylinder Easy fold and roll bladder makes packing a breeze Requires secondary donning Details: Fabric (shell): 300D Polyester Fabric (liner): 1.5mm Neoprene
  Entry Style: Buckle Webbing: Polypropylene Flotation: High Frequency welded bladder Weight: 1.4 lbs  Features:  Zippered pocket Premium Halkey Roberts manual inflator mechanism Indicator Window to check arming status Includes bayonet-style CO2 cylinder D-ring attachment points Whistle included 
  