LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) — In Polk County, Florida, deputies shot and killed a man wielding garden shears on Monday, shortly after he had endured a possible alligator attack.
Deputies from the Polk County Sheriff’s Office began searching for 42-year-old Timothy Schulz just before 6 a.m. after a convenience store employee reported his erratic behavior. Despite searching for approximately 40 minutes, they were unable to locate him.
Nearby neighborhood residents contacted the sheriff’s office about a man swimming in a lake known for its alligators. One person attempted to assist by throwing a life preserver, but a witness said Schulz growled at them when they tried to help.
Witnesses told deputies an alligator was spotted close to him as he swam across the lake.
Schulz emerged from the lake with an apparent alligator bite and began walking between houses while holding a pair of garden shears. The sheriff’s office said he was using a brick to attempt to break into a resident’s truck.
A witness told detectives they saw the suspect run at deputies with the shears. He was tased twice, but it appeared to not have an effect on him. Sheriff Grady Judd said he climbed into the passenger side of a PCSO patrol vehicle, trying to get a deputy’s rifle.
That’s when two deputies, identified as a trainee and his trainer, opened fire on the suspect, fatally wounding him.
Judd said Schulz had a lengthy criminal history that included several arrests for methamphetamine.
