A 71-year-old fisherman was killed by a 12-foot alligator in Winter Garden, Florida, on Friday evening, according to reports.
Steven Hamilton was on the banks of Apopka Lake in Dr. Bradford Memorial Park when the attack occurred. His acquaintance, Jason Handley, told the Daily Mail that Hamilton had been fishing and the alligator approached after the fish was caught.
"He saw it coming and tried to run, but he slipped at the worst possible moment," Handley recounted. Hamilton was reportedly killed by the alligator after it seized his catch.
Handley described Lake Apopka as being heavily populated with alligators, with some specimens reaching up to 15 feet in length. "It's infested with gators," he stated.
Officials captured the alligator involved in the incident. Video footage showed a dozen trappers wrestling the animal from the water. The alligator was later killed, and its head was taken as evidence.
Hamilton was a resident of Winter Gardens and a veteran musician in the Orlando area. He was known for his passion for fishing.
This incident follows another fatal alligator attack in Florida just months prior. In that case, 31-year-old Brittany Clark was killed by a 12-foot alligator in a nature spot near Orlando.