Florida boy runs with flag to honor fallen officer Eugene Wynn

A young Florida boy honored the life of fallen Conservation Officer Eugene Wynn by running a mile while carrying a Thin Blue Line flag.

On April 21, Zechariah with Running for Heroes, ran seven laps around his school's track to honor fallen officer Eugene Wynn, who worked with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources in Pine City.

Friday night, Officer Wynn and a Pine County Sheriff's Deputy responded to a call of a possible body in the water on Cross Lake in Pine City, Minn. Because they couldn't see the object from shore, the two got in a boat.

According to officials, within a minute of leaving the launch, both officers were thrown from the boat into the water. They began swimming towards shore and additional deputies attempted to rescue them using a nearby row boat. When authorities reached the deputy, they retrieved him, and he was transported to the hospital.

However, Wynn went under the water before authorities could get to him. Officials say his body was recovered at about 1:35 a.m. after an intensive search.

Running for Heroes honors fallen officers from throughout the country, and ran 163 miles last year to honor each officer who lost his or her life.

"This is very tragic," Zechariah said. "He did his very best and worked very hard."

The Pine County Sheriff's Office announced Tuesday that officials will inspect Officer Wynn's boat for damage or mechanical issues that may have contributed to the accident.