A strange and tragic series of events ended in a fatal police shooting in Polk County, Florida, after a man bit by an alligator allegedly attacked deputies and tried to steal a shotgun from a patrol vehicle. Authorities say the man, 42-year-old Timothy Schulz, was acting erratically after swimming in a lake known for its alligator population.
Strange Behavior at Gas Station
The incident started early in the morning around 6 a.m. when employees at a RaceTrac gas station along State Road 37 called the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. They reported that a man had entered the station acting strangely and asked to call his son. Deputies responded but couldn’t find him at the scene.
Alligator Bite After Lake Swim
A few hours later, deputies were called again — this time to reports of a man swimming in an alligator-infested lake. A witness said the man refused help even after someone tried to throw him a life preserver. Another person claimed the man growled at them before they ran inside and locked the door.
When deputies arrived, they found the man walking out of the lake with an apparent bite wound on his arm, believed to be from an alligator.
Confrontation Escalates
After coming out of the water, Schulz allegedly tried to break into a car using a brick and then turned aggressive toward the deputies. According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, the man grabbed a pair of garden shears and tried to attack the officers.
Deputies attempted to calm him down and used a Taser, but it was not effective. Schulz then allegedly made his way to a patrol vehicle, opened the passenger side door, and tried to access a shotgun inside.
“At that moment, all the warnings had to stop, and the action had to begin,” Sheriff Judd explained during a press briefing. “That’s when they shot him enough to stop the threat.”
Fatal Outcome
Schulz was shot by deputies and later pronounced dead at the scene. Sheriff Judd confirmed that the deputies acted to protect themselves and others once Schulz tried to grab a firearm.
The Florida man had a long history of arrests, especially for drug-related offenses, and had just been released from jail on May 20, five days before the fatal incident.
Investigation Underway
The sheriff’s office said a task force will thoroughly investigate the shooting, and the results will be sent to the state attorney’s office for review. This process is standard in any deputy-involved shooting.
This bizarre and tragic story highlights the unpredictable dangers law enforcement officers can face. From a strange gas station call to an alligator bite and a violent confrontation, the chain of events escalated quickly and ended fatally. The investigation will help determine if the deputies acted appropriately and within legal bounds, but Sheriff Judd has already stated that his deputies responded with caution before ultimately using lethal force when the situation became life-threatening.
