Watch CBS News

Funeral To Be Held For 19-Year-Old Shark Attack Victim

PERRIS (CBS) — A funeral mass is expected to be held Wednesday for a 19-year-old Romoland man who was killed by a shark near Vandenberg Air Force Base.

Lucas McKaine Ransom died Friday after he was attacked by a large shark, which may have been a great white.

The former Perris High School swimmer, who was majoring in chemical engineering at UC Santa Barbara, was body-boarding with friends at Surf Beach when the animal severed his leg.

The young man's close friend, Matthew Garcia, said the attack last Friday lasted a few seconds, and that Ransom had no warning that he was in danger.

A viewing, rosary and Mass for Ransom will be held at 5 p.m. at St. James Catholic Church, 269 W. 3rd St.

A memorial service is also scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday at Evans Brown Mortuary in Perris, near the young man's family's home.

Friends and family also plan to gather at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at the main pier in Oceanside for a tribute, during which mourners will paddle out on surfboards to spread flowers in Ransom's honor.

In 2007, Ransom was recognized by the city of Murrieta for saving a drowning boy at a pool.

"He was one of those kids you look at and say, he's going to do something great someday," Nick Hilton, Perris High School's assistant principal, told The Press-Enterprise last week.

(©2010 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.