A 71-year-old Florida fisherman was killed by a 12-foot alligator on Friday evening as he posed with a bass he had just caught on the shore of Lake Apopka. Steven Hamilton, a regular angler at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park, was attacked moments after showing his catch to someone, according to witness Beatrice Soto.
"He held it up for whoever it was to take a picture of him, and the gator came up and grabbed him by the leg and pulled him in," Soto told WFTV.
Attack and Recovery
Hamilton sustained blunt force injuries to his left leg before being pulled underwater, the Orange-Osceola Medical Examiners office reported. The alligator surfaced with the victim before submerging again. Coroners ruled Hamilton's death accidental, noting suspected teeth marks on his leg. He drowned in the lake, which is known to have a large alligator population.
Recovery efforts were complicated by the presence of numerous alligators in the lake, which officials estimate is home to more than 4,600 of the reptiles. Hamilton's body was recovered two hours after the attack.
The alligator, measuring just under 12 feet, was subsequently trapped and killed by Florida Wildlife Commission officials.
Previous Incidents
Hamilton's death marks the second fatal alligator attack in Florida this year. In June, 31-year-old Brittany Clark was swimming with her boyfriend in the Econlockhatchee River when she was attacked. Clark suffered near complete traumatic amputations of her left arm and sustained teeth marks on her shoulder and collarbone. Her death was also ruled accidental by medical examiners.
Florida is home to an estimated 1.3 million alligators, found in all 67 counties. Between 1948 and 2025, the state has recorded 32 fatal alligator attacks, according to Florida Wildlife Commission data.