A 14-foot alligator was found in a canal with a body in its jaws on Friday in Florida, the United States. The reptile was sighted by a witness on a residential street in Largo, a small community located just four miles south of Clearwater Beach, the New York Post reported. "I could tell there was a body in its mouth, so I started recording," the outlet quoted the witness, JaMarcus, as saying. Mr Bullard, who was on his way to a job interview, promptly called the Largo Fire Department, which was not far from the shocking scene.
Upon their arrival, the emergency crew shot the alligator several times after pulling it from the water, according to Mr Bullard. Jennifer Dean, a local resident, said, "Many of my neighbours who were present at the scene informed me about the gator".
Both the victim and the alligator were retrieved from the canal, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. When investigators arrived at the scene, they were standing next to a large, blood-stained alligator.
The location is in close proximity to the popular Ridgecrest Park, which features a five-acre lake known for harbouring alligators. Ms Dean claimed that alligators frequently inhabit the region, but the one that died on Friday was among the largest she had ever seen.
The cause of death of the Floridian is currently under investigation by law enforcement authorities.
Florida man loses arm in alligator attack outside a bar
In May this year, a 23-year-old man from Florida lost an arm after being attacked by an alligator near Fort Myers. The man was attacked at a pond behind Banditos Bar in Port Charlotte.
