Alligator kills fisherman at Florida park

A 71-year-old man fishing from the shore of a Florida park was pulled into the water and killed by an alligator on Friday, authorities said. Wildlife officers trapped and killed the animal, which measured 11 feet, 8 inches long.

The attack happened at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park in Winter Garden, about 15 miles west of Orlando. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission identified the fisherman as Steve Hamilton, according to CBS News; NBC News identified him as Steven Hamilton.

Winter Garden police Capt. Michael Mason said Hamilton was on the shoreline when the alligator pulled him into a pond. Emergency personnel received reports that witnesses had seen someone possibly grabbed and dragged into the water, according to radio traffic described by NBC News. Hamilton was pronounced dead at the scene, the wildlife commission said.

Emergency crews arrived at about 5:20 p.m. and had difficulty trying to rescue Hamilton because other alligators were nearby, The Guardian reported, citing Florida outlet WOFL. His body was recovered from the water a couple of hours later, according to that account. The wildlife commission said the alligator was trapped and removed; Winter Garden police said it was killed.

The park has several small ponds connected to Lake Apopka, CBS News reported. Mason said authorities had received no report of an alligator sighting at the pond that day, according to The Guardian. But he said the lake has “tons of alligators in it,” adding that seeing them in that part of town is not uncommon.

“Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be safe,” Mason told reporters. “Local wildlife, respect it, keep your distance. It looks like it’s docile, it looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous.” Mason also encouraged witnesses to contact authorities, NBC News reported.

Hamilton was the second person killed by an alligator in Florida this year, CBS News reported. In June, Brittany Clark, 31, died after an alligator attacked her while she was swimming in the Little Big Econ State Forest area near Orlando. The Guardian reported that the animal was 13 feet long and was later euthanized.

The wildlife commission says serious injuries caused by alligators are rare in Florida. CBS News, citing commission data, reported 13 attacks in the state last year, including eight major attacks and two fatalities. It said the state has recorded 32 fatal alligator attacks since tracking began in 1948. The Guardian, also citing the commission, reported that at least 34 people have been killed by alligators in Florida since 1948.