Police in Florida shot and killed a man after he allegedly charged at deputies with garden shears and attempted to steal a patrol car, authorities said. The man had survived an apparent alligator attack shortly before the fatal shooting.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said at a news conference that officers responded to reports of a man acting strangely near Lake Clark Court in Lakeland, Florida, around 6 a.m. local time on May 26.

Witnesses reported seeing the man — identified as 42-year-old Timothy Schulz — swimming in a lake with alligators prior to officers arriving at the scene, Judd said.

After exiting the lake, officials believe Schulz found a pair of garden shears from a nearby lawn. When police arrived, he allegedly charged at them with the shears, Judd said.

Deputies unsucc

See Full Page