A Florida man who had just walked free from jail was shot and killed by deputies after a chaotic and violent chain of events that included a gator attack, meth use, and a confrontation with police while wielding garden shears.
Timothy Schulz, 42, had been out of jail for less than a week when deputies say he went on a drug-fueled rampage in Lakeland, Florida. According to the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, Schulz was high on meth when he entered a local convenience store Monday morning, acting erratically and asking to call his son.
Deputies were called to the scene but couldn’t find him right away. Nearly two hours later, they got another call—this time about a man swimming in a nearby lake, where alligators had been spotted.
When they found Schulz, he was barely visible above the water. A witness told police he “growled” at them when they tried to talk to him. Sheriff Grady Judd said a bystander tried to help. “Another person actually took a life vest and tried to give it to [Schulz], but he wouldn’t take it.”
At some point during the swim, Schulz was bitten by one or more gators. Despite the injuries, he got out of the water holding a pair of garden shears and walked toward police.
That’s when things turned deadly.
“Our deputies tried to de-escalate,” said Judd. “We also tried to taze him on two different occasions and he continued to charge at them.”
Then Schulz made a move that forced deputies to open fire. According to Judd, he entered a police vehicle and tried to grab the weapons inside. “He tried to get the rifle and/or the shotgun out,” the sheriff said. “All the warnings had to stop and the action had to begin.”
Deputies shot Schulz multiple times. He died on the scene. No officers were injured.
Sheriff Judd said the situation was unlike anything he’d seen: “The fact that he was bitten by an alligator and still continued his rampage is shocking.”
He added that Schulz’s behavior was likely driven by drugs. “If you’re on enough meth, then the person you see is not the person that’s attacking.”
Schulz had a long history of meth-related charges, police confirmed. Deputies involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave pending investigation, as is standard.
