World
Alligator kills 71-year-old fisherman in Florida
October 17, 2026 at 05:27 PM
Coverage
3 reports · over 3 hours
A 12-foot alligator dragged 71-year-old Steve Hamilton into a Winter Garden, Florida, pond on Friday, killing him while he fished.
- The alligator dragged Hamilton into the water from the pond's shoreline, and crews recovered his body hours later.
- Police captain Michael Mason said trappers dispatched the alligator after the fatal attack.
- Mason said the pond, connected to Lake Apopka, holds many alligators and warned the reptiles can be dangerous despite appearing docile.
- The death is Florida's second fatal alligator attack this year after a 31-year-old woman was killed in June near Orlando.
- The attack occurred at Dr. Bradford Memorial Park on Lake Apopka's shore in Winter Garden.
- The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission is investigating the fatal attack alongside local police.


