UPDATE: Victim identified in suspected drowning in Surf City

SURF CITY, NC (WWAY) — A man is dead after a suspected drowning at a Pender County beach.

Around 6:03 a.m. Wednesday, the Surf City Fire Department responded to a call to the 200 Block of North Shore Drive near the intersection with Greensboro Avenue.

Ocean Rescue personnel found bystanders attempting to perform CPR on the victim in the water. First responders pulled the victim from the water and continued CPR efforts.

Advanced life support was administered by Pender EMS and Fire and the Surf City Fire Department, but the man did not survive.

The victim has been identified as Raymond O’Bryant Whitfield, 43, of Rose Hill.