A 71-year-old man was killed by an alligator while fishing from the shoreline near Lake Apopka in Winter Garden, Florida, on Friday.
Winter Garden Police Department Capt. Michael Mason said at a news conference that authorities responded around 5 p.m. and were investigating the attack jointly with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the state agency responsible for managing wildlife.
The victim was a Winter Garden resident. He had been fishing from shore, rather than standing in the water, when the attack occurred.
Trappers working with the wildlife commission shot and killed the alligator, which Mason described as about 12 feet long. Investigators believed a single alligator was involved and that the animal responsible had been removed.
Mason confirmed that a loud bang heard in the area came from the alligator being shot. He described the animal’s removal as a measure to protect the public.
Police had not received a report of an alligator sighting before the attack. Alligators are commonly seen in that part of Winter Garden because of the population in nearby Lake Apopka.
Mason declined to provide additional details about the recovery operation, citing the joint investigation. He urged people fishing or spending time near wildlife to remain alert and keep their distance from the animals.
“Always be aware of your surroundings. Always be safe,” he said. “Local wildlife, respect it. Keep your distance.”
“It looks like it’s docile. It looks like your Florida emblem, but it can be dangerous,” he added.
Those deaths included a 61-year-old woman killed while canoeing on Tiger Creek in Lake Wales in May and a 73-year-old woman found dead at a residential pond in Palm Harbor in October.
The 2025 total included eight major bites and five minor bites. Fatal bites are included in the major category, which covers injuries requiring medical treatment beyond first aid. Minor bites involve superficial injuries requiring no care beyond first aid.
The state recorded 11 bites and no deaths in 2024. In 2023, it documented 23 bites, including two fatal incidents.
Across the reporting period beginning in 1948 and extending through 2025, the records list 500 unprovoked bites, including 32 deaths. Of the total, 347 were classified as major and 153 as minor.
The February figures cover bites by wild alligators that were not provoked through handling or intentional harassment. The commission cautions that the totals may omit recent incidents still under investigation.
