Ocean Beach drowning ruled accident

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - New details in the March drowning of a Nevada man in Ocean Beach shed light on the events leading up to the man's death that night.

County Medical Examiner's Office Investigator Christopher Burton said 27-year-old Kevin Thomas Chilson-Meyers died due to drowning, though noted the manner of death was accidental.

According to the Medical Examiner's (ME) report, police learned that Chilson-Meyer and his girlfriend were in town visiting relatives and visiting tourist attractions in San Diego. Officers say on March 31, the couple visited a relative in El Cajon, where they had been drinking before deciding to head to the Ocean Beach and eventually to Ocean Beach Pier. The victim's blood alcohol content was .07, according to Burton.

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At the pier, Chilson-Meyer and his girlfriend were confronted by a group of men who began harassing them. During the confrontation, one of the men grabbed Chilson-Meyer's hat and threw it over the side of the pier, San Diego Police said.

When the victim lost his hat, his girlfriend asked him why he didn't go after it, as she had purchased it for him and was her favorite, according to the ME's report.

SDPD said when Chilson-Meyer hopped over the pier and into the water, he immediately began to struggle to stay afloat.

According to lifeguards, they found Chilson-Meyer unresponsive about 30 minutes after the 9-1-1 call. Crews transported him to a nearby hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Police did not investigate the drowning as a criminal matter.

Chilson-Meyer's girlfriend said the man didn't have any known medical history but had several instances where he sustained concussions, most recently after he was "pistol whipped" at an Arizona home, according to the ME's report.