City of Tempe, AZ
Home MenuMay 28, 2022 Lake Drowning
Sean Bickings, 34, an unsheltered Tempe community member, drowned Saturday, May 28, 2022, near the Elmore Pedestrian Bridge after voluntarily entering the water and soon becoming unable to continue swimming. Before entering the lake, he had been conversing, unhandcuffed, with the officers, who had responded to a call about an alleged fight between Bickings and his companion.
Officers had been called to the north side of the Tempe Center for the Arts just after 5 a.m. on May 28 by a Downtown Tempe Authority ambassador for a reported disturbance between the couple. When officers arrived, they spoke to Bickings and his companion, who cooperated fully and denied that any physical argument had taken place. Neither were being detained for any offense. Officers told Bickings they were running his name through a database used to check whether people have outstanding arrest warrants; this is a standard procedure. That check had not yet been completed when Bickings climbed over a 4-foot metal fence and entered the water. Officers informed him swimming is not allowed in the lake. He swam about 30-40 yards before indicating he was in distress. He soon went under and did not resurface.
Tempe asked Scottsdale Police to examine the Tempe Police response to the drowning; the resulting report is available on this page under the Documents tab. Tempe’s death investigation was reviewed by the Department of Public Safety (DPS) at the request of Tempe Police.
The three Tempe police officers who responded to the call and witnessed the drowning were placed on non-disciplinary paid administrative leave, as is customary in critical incidents, and have since returned to duty.
A lawsuit was filed on May 26, 2023, against the City of Tempe related to the drowning of Sean Bickings. It is the City of Tempe’s practice not to discuss possible or ongoing litigation. The city will not be able to discuss or provide interviews regarding the incident or lawsuit at this time.