VERO BEACH — A concerned officer fatally shot an aggressive 8-foot 11-inch long, 210-pound alligator spotted crawling near the back porch of a home last week, police said. The incident happened less than half-a-mile from Rosewood Magnet Elementary School.
“The alligator had made its way to a screen-enclosed back door to a residence. A supervisor on scene deemed the large alligator as aggressive and made the decision to humanely dispatch it,” Vero Beach police said in a statement. “We never take the decision to use deadly force lightly. Our primary responsibility is the safety of the public.”
The shooting comes as state wildlife officials warned residents about alligators going into mating season, a dangerous time of year when the creatures are more aggressive.
The alligator was spotted shortly before 2:42 p.m. April 4 in the 3600 block of 16th Street, behind the Leisure Square Recreation Center in Vero Beach.
Officers received reports that the “alligator was attempting to break into the back porch and trying to attack the caller’s pet cat,” said Officer Kelsea Callahan, a spokesperson for the Vero Beach Police Department. Multiple officers, including the agency’s animal control officer, responded to the call for assistance.
Police sent an incident report to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission immediately after the shooting, Callahan said. On April 8, an FWC lieutenant and officer reviewed body camera footage of the incident, determined the alligator was a nuisance and agreed with the action taken by the officer involved.
Police said there was no body of water within a reasonable distance.
Officers turned the alligator’s carcass over to FWC officials, who tagged the animal. FWC then gave the alligator to a trapper.
Alligator mating season in Florida begins with courtship in early April, followed by mating that occurs in May or June, according to the FWC. Residents concerned about aggressive alligators should call FWC’s Nuisance Alligator Hotline at 866-392-4286.
