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Man mocks alligators, jumps in water and is killed

A man died on Friday of an apparent alligator attack on Friday in southeastern Texas, near the Louisiana border. According to witnesses, the man had ignored verbal warning and signs about the hazards of swimming in the water.

Witnesses said the man had mocked the threat of alligators before he jumped into the water. He was quoted as saying, “Bleep the alligators,” as reported by KFDM News.

Authorities identified the victim as Tommie Woodward, 28, who moved from St. Louis to Orange with his twin brother. He’s worked in the shipyards the past few years.

Woodward and an unidentified woman were swimming by Burkhart’s Marina in a bayou at night.

Marina employee Michelle Wright witnessed the attack and gave an emotional interview recorded on video and posted on the KFDM website. She had warned Woodward not to swim in the bayou and told him there’s a large alligator in the water.

Wright reports she heard a woman scream, “An alligator’s got him.” Wright used a flashlight to examine the water and said she saw Woodward’s body. Wright reported what she saw next:

“I saw his body floating face down. And then he’s out there for a couple of seconds and then he’s dragged back down. And then he comes back up still face down and then he gets pulled down again. And then he just disappears.”

Woodward’s body was found several hours later. The woman accompanying Woodward in the water was not physically hurt.

Dying from an alligator attack is extremely rare and there have been 129 unprovoked attacks and 14 fatalities since 2000. Before Woodward’s death, the last fatality was in 2007 in Miami.

Alligator experts warn that people should not swim outside allowed swimming area and not to swim after dark when alligators are more active.

Feeding alligators is prohibited by law and can train the animals to associate humans with food.

Pets like dogs should be leashed and monitored to prevent them from being snatched up by predatory alligators. An alligator grabbed and ate an unleashed dachsund at a Florida wildlife preserve last weekend. The attack was so fast that the dog owner could not rescue the dog.

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