PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Dozens of family and friends gathered Friday night to remember one of the two men who drowned in a West Greenwich pond last week.
Divers pulled Joshua Richards, 20, of Providence, out of Phelps Pond Friday evening after he went into the water and never resurfaced.
Monkon Jay King, Richards’ aunt, tells 12 News he drowned while attempting to save his friend, 20-year-old Tylon Brooks, who was struggling in the water.
“He was a great person,” King said. “We lost a great one.”
King invited everyone who knew her nephew to Clifford Street, where a candlelit vigil was held in his honor.
She tells 12 News she was not surprised by the turnout, describing it as incredible.
“I know he was very loved,” she said. “He was a legend.”
Fredrick Mallay, Richards’ cousin, tells 12 News that he had an impact on everyone he met.
“He motivated, encouraged and helped us all be better people,” Mallay said. “This loss is tragic to all of us, but we know we can’t grieve for too long because he wouldn’t want that. He would want us to elevate and to grow and be the bet versions of ourselves.”
The brothers of both Richards and Brooks created GoFundMe pages to help with funeral expenses, both of which have already raised thousands of dollars.
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