‘Crazy stuff;’ Man bitten by alligator before getting shot, killed by deputy

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd holds a picture of Timothy Schulz, who was fatally shot by deputies on May 26, 2025.

POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A man tried to attack deputies moments after an alligator attacked him.

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Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said deputies got a call about a man “acting bizarre,” our news partners at WFTV reported.

Deputies did not see the man when they got on scene, but got a call about him swimming in a lake nearby.

Deputies found him walking around the houses with a set of garden shears, and he allegedly tried to break a car window with a brick, WFTV reported.

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Schulz charged at the deputies, who tried to stop him with a stun gun twice.

He said Schulz then got into the passenger side of the patrol car and tried to get one of the firearms. That’s when the deputies shot him.

Judd also said the deputies noticed what appeared to be a bite mark on his arm, which they believe came from an alligator in the lake.

“He swam across the lake from Highway 37. That’s amazing in and of itself. It’s a long swim. And he was gator-bitten along the way,” said Judd. “This is just crazy stuff, OK? You know that’s got to be true. You can’t make it up.”

The shooting is now under investigation, with the results going to the state attorney for review.

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