A person believed to be on medicine was shot and killed Monday by Florida sheriff’s deputies who had tried to shock him with a Taser as he wielded a set of backyard shears shortly after he was apparently bitten by an alligator in a lake, a sheriff mentioned.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd instructed reporters the 2 deputies have been attempting to de-escalate the state of affairs earlier than the person, recognized as 42-year-old Timothy Schulz, climbed into their operating patrol automobile and tried to get the weapons inside. That’s when the deputies opened fireplace, Judd mentioned.
“This is just crazy stuff, OK?” Judd mentioned. “You know that it’s got to be true, you can’t make it up.”
An image launched by the Polk County Sheriff’s Workplace in Florida exhibits what seems to be bullet holes in a patrol automobile after sheriff’s deputies shot a person within the automobile, Could 26, 2025.
Polk County Sheriff’s Workplace
Schulz had an extended historical past of drug-related arrests, Judd mentioned. He had been launched from jail final Tuesday after being arrested for possession of meth, in line with the Polk County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Monday’s incident began when a comfort retailer employee at about 5:56 a.m. reported a person appearing bizarrely, shaking and asking to name his son, Judd mentioned. Deputies went to the shop however couldn’t discover the person.
At about 7:43 a.m., individuals reported a person later recognized as Schulz swimming in a lake that contained a number of alligators, Judd mentioned. One witness tried to offer him a life preserver, and one other tried to talk with him however obtained a growl in response, in line with the sheriff.
Whereas Schulz was within the lake, he was apparently bitten by an alligator on his proper arm, Judd mentioned.
“The fact that he was bitten by an alligator, significantly, and still continued his rampage is shocking,” Judd mentioned. “But if you’re on enough meth, then the person you see is not the person that’s attacking.”
When Schulz emerged from the water in a gated neighborhood in Lakeland, east of Tampa, he picked up a set of backyard shears that had been left exterior, Judd mentioned. Schulz then tried to interrupt right into a automobile with a brick.
After deputies arrived on the scene, Schulz charged at them with the shears, Judd mentioned. The deputies tried to de-escalate the state of affairs, instructed Schulz to place the shears down and tried to shock him with a Taser twice, in line with the sheriff.
“They were still trying to take him peacefully into custody,” Judd mentioned.
Schulz entered the deputies’ still-running patrol automobile from the passenger facet and tried to get both the rifle or the shotgun inside from their holders, Judd mentioned. The deputies then shot Schulz a number of instances.
The sheriff’s workplace posted pictures to social media displaying the patrol automobile with what gave the impression to be a number of bullet holes via the windshield.
The incident is below investigation, Judd mentioned. The deputies have been positioned on routine administrative depart through the preliminary phases of the investigation.
