The Horry County Police Department reported Friday that a South Carolina man was dragged into a retention pond and killed by an alligator.
The HCPD Environmental Services and Criminal Investigations Divisions are investigating the man’s death after they were called in for a water rescue shortly before noon last Friday, according to a statement on their Facebook page. The alleged attack took place just outside of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the statement noted.
It was determined that the alligator “took hold” of one of the community residents who was near the edge of the pond and dragged him into the pond shortly thereafter, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Section and law enforcement noted.
The victim’s body was recovered from the pond, and the alligator was immediately, humanely euthanized on site, the statement continued. (RELATED: Man Uses Frying Pan In Epic Battle Against Crocodile)
Florida Family Finds 11-Foot Alligator In Their Swimming Poolhttps://t.co/6cQol9aCyI
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 18, 2022
Alligator attacks in the United States are rarely fatal, according to AZAnimals. Strange behavior from mega predators is reportedly on the rise due to the start of mating season, according to the New York Post.
Until the attack in South Carolina, only eight people had died of an alligator attack between 2010 and 2019, the website reported. Friday’s tragic incident is the second fatal attack by an alligator in less than a month, the New York Times reported. A Florida man was killed in May after he tried to retrieve frisbees from a lake in Largo that served as a habitat for the enormous beasts.