The man whose identity police withheld pending notification of next of kin  initially had a pulse and was taken to Cape Canaveral Hospital, Cocoa Beach Deputy Fire Chief G.C. Wine said. The man, in his mid-20s, was pronounced dead about 8 p.m.

Joshua Dudley, an 18-year-old restaurant dishwasher at the pier, rushed into the water and helped take the man to shore alongside other rescuers.

Cocoa Beach firefighters and Brevard County Fire-Rescue assisted the man, who wasn't breathing despite his pulse.

About 7:30 p.m., the surfer paddled farther past other surfers on a tan and red-stripe surfboard. He carried a white plastic bag, and later sat atop his board, Cocoa Beach police Lt. Buddy Ayres said. No weapon has been retrieved, Ayres said.

When pulled from the ocean, the surfer apparently had a bullet wound to the head. He was sandy and bleeding so profusely that police could not see the wound clearly, Ayres said.

Worried beachgoers, who saw blood in the water, initially thought the incident might have been a shark attack. People on the pier watched from above.

Cocoa Beach police are investigating the case as a suicide.

Source: www.floridatoday.com