POLK COUNTY, Fla. – A 42-year-old man recently released from jail was bitten by an alligator before being shot and killed by Polk County deputies after charging at them with a pair of garden shears, according to the sheriff.
The sheriff’s office responded to a Racetrac around 5:56 a.m. Monday after receiving a call about a “bizarre” man who was asking to call his son.
According to Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, deputies responded and searched for Timothy Schulz but could not locate him.
The sheriff’s office received another call around 7:43 a.m. reporting a man in a lake and that an alligator was near him. Judd said that Schulz was swimming in the lake and had apparently been bitten on the arm by an alligator.
“As (deputies) were arriving, he was walking from the lake, between the houses and he had a set of garden shears with him,” Judd said.
The sheriff said Schulz then charged at the deputies while holding the shears.
“Our deputies tried to de-escalate. We also tried to Tase him on two different occasions and he continued to charge at them,” Judd said.
Judd said Schulz then climbed into the passenger side of a patrol vehicle and attempted to get a firearm from the holder in the vehicle.
“At that time, our deputies shot. They shot multiple times and as a result, Timothy is deceased,” he said.
According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the shooting happened on West Lake Clark Court just south of Lakeland.
The sheriff said Schulz had a history of meth-related arrests and was recently released from jail on May 20.
No deputies were injured in the shooting.
No other details have been released.