ALLIGATOR KILLS FISHERMAN IN FLORIDA

An alligator killed Steven Hamilton while he was fishing at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park in Winter Garden, Florida, on Friday, according to local authorities. Hamilton stood on the shoreline of water connected to Lake Apopka when the animal dragged him in. The alligator measured almost 12 feet long. Emergency crews responded at about 5.20pm after a call for help, but other alligators in the water hindered their rescue attempt. Crews recovered Hamilton’s body about two hours later.

Winter Garden Police Captain Michael Mason said authorities had received no warning that an alligator was near the shoreline that day. He said the water had “tons of alligators in it” and that sightings were common in that part of town. Trappers from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission captured and killed the animal. Police and the commission have opened a joint investigation. “Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be safe,” Mason said.

Hamilton’s death was Florida’s second fatal alligator attack this year, according to state records. In June, a 13-foot alligator killed Brittany Clark in Seminole County; authorities removed that animal from the water and killed it. Florida state data puts the number of people killed by alligators since 1948 at 34, including the two deaths this year. After Clark’s death, US Representative Greg Steube introduced a resolution calling for a study of how federal protections affect Florida’s ability to remove alligators from residential and commercial waterways. Steube said the protections remain in place to prevent trafficking and the hunting of the similar-looking American crocodile.