Fort Myers Man Shoots Gator

A man in Fort Myers shot an alligator in March. You're not allowed to do this.

Andrew Price shot the gator while it was swimming in a residential neighborhood pond. Well, now he faces two misdemeanor charges.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and the Lee County Sheriff's Office attended the scene. The alligator was captured alive by folks from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. After it was captured, they had to put it down because of the injuries.

Price confessed that he was the one who shot the gator.

One eyewitness said Price was with his son when he fired, "There was no reason for him first of all to fire a firearm in here because it was across the lake, and there were people walking around," said Cindy Elins. "It could have ricocheted; it could have done anything."

A Florida law protects alligator:

"A person may not intentionally kill, injure, possess, or capture, or attempt to kill, injure, possess, or capture, an alligator or other crocodilian, or the eggs of an alligator or other crocodilian, unless authorized by rules of the commission."

If someone kills or purposely injures a gator, they can be charged with third-degree felony in our state. Price was charged with a first-degree misdemeanor for cruelty to animals.

Even though alligators can potentially pose a threat to humans, attacks on humans are rare. The FWC says, "The likelihood of a Florida resident being seriously injured during an unprovoked alligator incident in Florida is roughly only one in 3.1 million."

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