A person believed to be on medication was shot and killed Monday by Florida sheriff’s deputies who had tried to shock him with a Taser as he wielded a set of backyard shears shortly after he was apparently bitten by an alligator in a lake, a sheriff stated.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd instructed reporters the 2 deputies have been making an attempt to de-escalate the scenario earlier than the person, recognized as 42-year-old Timothy Schulz, climbed into their operating patrol car and tried to get the weapons inside. That’s when the deputies opened hearth, Judd stated.
“This is just crazy stuff, OK?” Judd stated. “You know that it’s got to be true, you can’t make it up.”
Polk County Sheriff’s Workplace
Schulz had a protracted historical past of drug-related arrests, Judd stated. He had been launched from jail final Tuesday after being arrested for possession of meth, in keeping with the Polk County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Monday’s incident began when a comfort retailer employee at about 5:56 a.m. reported a person appearing bizarrely, shaking and asking to name his son, Judd stated. Deputies went to the shop however couldn’t discover the person.
At about 7:43 a.m., individuals reported a person later recognized as Schulz swimming in a lake that contained a number of alligators, Judd stated. One witness tried to offer him a life preserver, and one other tried to talk with him however obtained a growl in response, in keeping with the sheriff.
Whereas Schulz was within the lake, he was apparently bitten by an alligator on his proper arm, Judd stated.
“The fact that he was bitten by an alligator, significantly, and still continued his rampage is shocking,” Judd stated. “But if you’re on enough meth, then the person you see is not the person that’s attacking.”
When Schulz emerged from the water in a gated group in Lakeland, east of Tampa, he picked up a set of backyard shears that had been left exterior, Judd stated. Schulz then tried to interrupt right into a car with a brick.
After deputies arrived on the scene, Schulz charged at them with the shears, Judd stated. The deputies tried to de-escalate the scenario, instructed Schulz to place the shears down and tried to shock him with a Taser twice, in keeping with the sheriff.
“They were still trying to take him peacefully into custody,” Judd stated.
Schulz entered the deputies’ still-running patrol car from the passenger aspect and tried to get both the rifle or the shotgun inside from their holders, Judd stated. The deputies then shot Schulz a number of instances.
The sheriff’s workplace posted photographs to social media displaying the patrol car with what gave the impression to be a number of bullet holes by the windshield.
The incident is underneath investigation, Judd stated. The deputies have been positioned on routine administrative go away in the course of the preliminary phases of the investigation.
