Alligator captured after man killed in Florida park

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — After hours of searching, wildlife officials have captured and euthanized an alligator in a park in Largo, Florida, near where police believe a man was attacked and killed Tuesday.

The Largo Police Department started investigating the deadly attack Tuesday morning at John S. Taylor Park. A spokesperson for the department said at the time officers were investigating the death of a man and that detectives believed a gator was involved.

According to the police department, the man was believed to be in the water looking for Frisbees before he died. The department spokesperson said there are “no swimming” signs posted at the lake.

Officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission responded to the scene with gator trappers. Crews found a large alligator in the water around 5 p.m.

Cameras from NewsNation affiliate WFLA captured the moment the alligator was removed from the water. The gator was euthanized shortly after. A necropsy will be performed on the animal to determine whether it was, in fact, the alligator believed to be involved in Tuesday morning’s attack.

People who live near the lake told WFLA they know there are many alligators in the water. They also said they’ve seen people in the water before trying to retrieve discs used for disc golf.

“A disc is not worth it,” one man said. “You know? It’s not worth it.”

Largo police have not released the name of the man who died Tuesday. Several people who were at the park, however, said he was well-known to the disc golf community.

There have been a number of alligator attacks and bite incidents in the area. A man was bitten in the face by an alligator at Taylor Park in 2020 when he went into a lake to retrieve his disc golf disc.