Teen boy applauded for saving three girls and a police officer from drowning: "I wasn't even thinking..."

Corion Evans, 16, was walking by the river when he saw a vehicle veer off the road and into the water, carrying three girls. 

The teenager stripped down to his underwear and went in to save them without hesitation, reports WLOX. Evans told the outlet, "They drove straight under the water. Like, only a little bit of the car was still above the water."

Evans claimed he threw his shoes, clothes, and phone into the water. Karon "KJ" Bradley, one of his friends, also jumped in and assisted in getting the girls to the top of their truck. He said, "I was just like, 'I can’t let none of these folks die. They need to get out the water.' So, I just started getting them. I wasn’t even thinking about nothing else."

The quick-thinking youngster not only saved all three ladies but he also heard someone else asking for aid in the midst of the turmoil. It was then revealed that the swimmer was Moss Point Police Officer Gary Mercer, responding to the situation. Evans swam out to bring the officer to shore after recognizing he was in danger. 

He said, "I turned around. I see the police officer. He’s drowning. He’s going underwater, drowning, saying, 'Help!' So, I went over there. I went and I grabbed the police officer and I’m like swimming him back until I feel myself I can walk." Evans, a Pascagoula High School student, has been swimming since he was three years old.

"I was behind them trying to keep them above water and swim with them at the same time," Evans added. Marquita Evans, his mother, applauded her son for his bravery and endurance. "I was really proud of Corion because he wasn’t just thinking about himself. He was trying to really get all those people out the water. I’m glad nothing happened to him while he was trying to save other people’s lives," she said.

Chief Brandon Ashley said in a statement, "The police department and I commend Mr. Evans’s bravery and selflessness he displayed by risking his own safety to help people in danger. If Mr. Evans had not assisted, it could have possibly turned out tragically instead of all occupants rescued safely."

Evans said, "They was out there throwing up because a lot of water had got inside all of them. 25 yards out, so it was a lot of swimming. My legs were so tired after. Anything could’ve been in that water, though. But I wasn’t thinking about it." 

Evans and Mercer received Certificates of Commendation from Mayor Billy Knight and the Board of Aldermen at the city's regular board meeting on Tuesday, reports PEOPLE. Evans was also praised on social media, notably in a message from one of the victims he helped, Cora Watson. She wrote on Facebook, "This man right here saved my life right before my last breath. I’m so thankful for him."