Man with alligator bite, armed with shears fatally shot by Florida deputies, police say

Police in Florida shot and killed a man after he allegedly charged at deputies with garden shears and attempted to steal a patrol car, authorities said. The man had survived an apparent alligator attack shortly before the fatal shooting.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference that officers responded to reports of a man acting strangely near Lake Clark Court in Lakeland, Florida, around 6 a.m. local time on May 26.

Witnesses reported seeing the man — identified as 42-year-old Timothy Schulz — swimming in a lake with alligators prior to officers arriving at the scene, Judd said.

After exiting the lake, officials believe Schulz found a pair of garden shears from a nearby lawn. When police arrived, he allegedly charged at them with the shears, Judd said.

Deputies unsuccessfully attempted to tase Schulz before fatally shooting him, Judd said.

Witnesses: Man swam with alligators before fatal police shooting

Judd said witnesses saw Schulz swimming in an alligator-filled lake. One person attempted to throw Schulz a life vest and another said he growled at them, according to police.

Schulz's arm appeared to have been bitten by an alligator, Judd said.

After getting out of the lake, Schulz allegedly found a pair of garden shears and also threw a brick in an attempt to steal a car, Judd said.

Officers unsuccessfully attempted to tase Schulz twice, Judd said. He also allegedly entered the officers' patrol car.

"He tried to assault my deputies with shears, then he jumped into their vehicle — which is an armed burglary with the shears — trying to get the rifle and or the shotgun out," Judd said. "At that moment in time, all the warnings had to stop and the action had to begin."

As a result, the officers shot "multiple times" and killed Schulz, Judd said.

"Quite frankly, his conduct was outrageous," Judd said. "It was bizarre."

Suspect was recently released from jail

Schulz had an extensive criminal history involving several arrests for possession of methamphetamine, Judd said.

Most recently, Schulz was arrested in April for possession of methamphetamine and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Polk County's inmate records.

He was released on May 20, days before the shooting. Judd said Schulz appeared to be under the influence at the time of the incident.

"The fact that he was bitten by an alligator significantly and still continued his rampage is shocking," Judd said. "But if you're on enough meth, then the person you see is not the person that's attacking."

Police shooting under investigation

The shooting is under investigation by multiple units, including the 10th Judicial Circuit's Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force and the PCSO Administrative Investigations Unit, the PCSO said in a media alert.

Judd said the two officers involved will be on administrative leave during the preliminary stages of the investigation.

One of the deputies involved is in training, Judd said.

"The trainer did exactly what he should have, and so did our brand new deputy," Judd said.

The Polk County Medical Examiner is also conducting an autopsy to determine the manner and cause of death. All investigative findings will forwarded to the 10th Judicial Circuit State Attorney's Office for their investigation and review, PCSO said.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for Paste BN. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.