Boys who jumped in Spokane River grieve friend who drowned

SPOKANE, Wash. -- The three boys who jumped in the river with a boy who drowned on Wednesday evening are grieving the loss of their friend.

The boys jumped off the Orange Howard Street Bridge into the Spokane River around 7 p.m. on May 8. Three of them got out of the river safely, but the fourth boy disappeared under the water.

Rescue crews pulled the boy from the river after he had been under water for nearly an hour.

A makeshift memorial to honor the boy's memory is now set up on the Howard Street Bridge. The families involved are just beginning to process the tragic event.

One of the surviving boy's mother's said her son is so traumatized he won't leave his room.

"My son is very sorry," said Breana Paaverud. "If he would have known that the little boy couldn't swim, he wouldn't have let him. None of the boys would have."

Spokane Public Schools confirmed on Thursday the boy who drowned was a student at Yasuhara Middle School.

Rumors of the three boys running away from the river while their friend drowned spread quickly after the incident.

Paaverud said the boys ran to help, not away from the river.

"He went and ran to the ladder and tried to see if he could still see him but by the time he got to the ladder, he was already pulled under. It's a terrible thing," said Paaverud.

she said the rumors have caused her family to receive death threats.

"It's not fair because our boys lost one of their friends. And so, not ony are we having to help  them grieve for their friend, we're having to protect them from other children at school," said Paaverud.

As her 16-year-old and the rest of the boys continue to processes what happened, Paaverud said she and the other mothers are there for the mom who lost her son.

"And to the boy's mom, all of us moms are here for you, and if you need anything, you can reach out," said Paaverud.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: One child drowns in Spokane River

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Spokane Public Schools confirms Yasuhara Middle School student drowned in Spokane River

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