A 71-year-old fisherman was killed by a nearly 12-foot alligator in Lake Apopka, Florida, moments after proudly displaying the bass he had just caught. An autopsy revealed he suffered injuries to his left leg as the alligator dragged him into the water, where he drowned.
Steven Hamilton, a resident of Winter Garden and a well-known local musician, fished daily along the lake's banks. Last Friday, after catching a bass, he held it up for someone to photograph. Within seconds, an alligator emerged from the water, seized his leg, and pulled him into the lake.
According to eyewitnesses at the scene, the alligator brought Hamilton back to the surface before dragging him under again. His body was located approximately two hours after the attack, around 7:00 PM, after the large number of alligators in the lake complicated search operations.
Florida authorities captured the alligator, which measured nearly 12 feet in length, and killed it. Hamilton's death marks the second fatal alligator attack in Florida this year.
According to data from the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 32 deaths from alligator attacks have been recorded in Florida between 1948 and 2025. An estimated 1.3 million alligators live throughout the state.
