A man looking for Frisbees along a Florida lakeshore was found dead Tuesday in an incident police are investigating as a possible alligator attack, authorities said.
The 47-year-old victim’s identity was not immediately released after the incident at Taylor Lake in John S. Taylor Park, Largo police and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said in statements.
“At this time, detectives believe the victim was looking for frisbees in the water and a gator was involved,” Largo police said. “There are posted signs of no swimming in the lake.”
Florida Fish and Wildlife trappers rushed to the scene, about 5 miles south of downtown Clearwater, officials said.
A camera crew from NBC affiliate WFLA of Tampa was recording when trappers tracked down and removed an alligator from the water Tuesday evening, the station reported.
The reptile was euthanized, and a necropsy will be performed to determine if it was involved in the attack, WFLA said.
Florida Fish and Wildlife said in a statement, “Our sincere condolences go out to the family and friends of the deceased.”
The park is home to a disc golf course where flying discs are thrown into baskets. As in golf, the player who needs the fewest number of throws to put a disc in each basket along the course wins.
Some park regulars told WFLA it isn’t unusual to see people fishing in the water for discs that went off-course, despite the park’s warnings that suggest mortal danger could exist below the surface.
Dennis Romero contributed.