A drug-addled guy who allegedly charged at deputies in central Florida after emerging from a lake where he seemed to have been attacked by an alligator was shot dead.
The incident took place Monday morning in a Polk County gated neighborhood.
The dead was identified as forty-two-year-old Timothy Schulz. During a press conference, county sheriff Grady Judd informed reporters that Schulz has a lengthy criminal history involving methamphetamine and that his most recent release from jail occurred on May 20.
“He’s dead. Deader than four o’clock,” Judd stated.
“I don’t know if this is a suicide by cop or a suicide by being absolutely out of your mind on methamphetamine.”
A garden-shears-wielding Schulz approached their running patrol car and allegedly attempted to take a weapon or shotgun from it, but was shot and killed by two deputies, one of whom was a trainee, according to the sheriff.
“This is one more example of how violent people are when they use meth and they use drugs,” he stated.
According to Judd, the local racecourse initially alerted law enforcement about Schulz at 5:56 a.m. EDT, stating that a “bizarre” guy was “shaking” on the property and requesting to reach his son.
A second witness called about two hours later to report seeing a white man swimming in a lake that was overrun with alligators. According to Judd, one witness attempted to offer Schulz a life preserver, but he refused.
Another witness said that Schulz was treading water in the lake close to a number of alligators, one of which seemed to have bitten Schulz on the arm.
After leaving the lake, he entered a gated complex, passed by homes, and grabbed a pair of lawn shears.
He was hurling a brick at a car window when deputies arrived on the scene.
Judd claimed that while the deputies attempted to persuade Schulz to drop the shears, they constantly retreated from him. When Schulz tried to get into the patrol cruiser, they tased him twice.
“He was trying to get to our rifle and or shotgun and we shot him. Now, quite frankly, his conduct was outrageous. It was bizarre,” Judd stated.
“The fact that he was bitten by an alligator significantly and still continued his rampage is shocking.”
During the press conference, Judd cautioned anyone who might think of threatening deputies.
“Let me make this abundantly clear: You’re not going to shoot at our deputies, you’re not going to point guns at our deputies, you are not going to point garden sheers at our deputies, you’re not going to break into the car and try to get their rifles, you’re not going to assault feloniously our deputies — you’re just not going to do that. And if you do, we’re going to shoot you — just enough so you don’t want to do that ever again or can’t do that ever again,” he stated.
