Lake County Deputy Shoots Alligator With AR-15, Freeing Girl Trapped In Tree
BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 5 months ago
With a single shot from his AR-15 rifle, a Lake County deputy sheriff quickly put an end to a large alligator that had a teenage girl trapped in a tree for nearly an hour, authorities said Monday.
Jordan Broderick, 15, was eventually able to climb safely down from the tree, according to a sheriff’s report.
Just after 3 p.m. Friday, the Sheriff’s Office received calls from Michael Henderson of Titusville and other family members, saying that his daughter couldn’t come down from a tree near a boat ramp because a 10-foot alligator sat at the base of the tree hissing at her for more than 30 minutes, the report said.
“My daughter’s stuck in a frickin’ tree and there’s gators surrounding her!” the teenager’s mother said frantically to a 911 operator. “Oh my God! Please hurry! Please hurry!”
Jordan was floating on a raft in the creek near Forest Service Road near Alexandria Springs park when the alligator quickly approached her, authorities said.
That’s when the girl grabbed a large branch hanging over the water and climbed into the tree, according to the report. The alligator then waited in the water at the base of the tree underneath the girl hanging from the branch.
When Deputy Mitch Blackmon arrived, he found the girl in the tree screaming that she was tired from hanging on to the branch, the report said.
“My presence failed to scare the alligator away, and it began encroaching on my area at which time I fired one single 223 round from my Bushmaster AR15 killing the alligator,” Blackmon wrote in his report.
The alligator sank into the water and did not reappear, the report said. A Lake County marine biologist confirmed the alligator had died, according to authorities.
Wait! I thought the 5.56mm round was worthless (he calls his ammo .223, little difference if he’s correct)? I thought it was good for nothing except inflicting mass innocent casualties? I thought no one needed such a thing?
Followup thoughts: I hate to jump on Mr. Michael Henderson after a traumatic event like this one, but where is your AR-15, sir? What kind of man says this? [My] “daughter couldn’t come down from a tree near a boat ramp because a 10-foot alligator sat at the base of the tree hissing at her for more than 30 minutes.”
No offense, but head to the nearest gun store and spend a little money.
On July 2, 2018 at 3:08 pm, Eric said:
Maybe he thought it was an alligator free zone
On July 2, 2018 at 6:29 pm, Fred said:
“My presence failed to scare the alligator away, and it began encroaching on my area at which time I fired one single 223 round from my Bushmaster AR15 killing the alligator”…After which I shot the girls dog and tasered the nearest black man, all in a days work.
On July 2, 2018 at 10:54 pm, TheAlaskan said:
There ya go. Can’t ban the AR now. It’s saving treed teenage girls from gators. Gators are out of control.
On July 3, 2018 at 1:01 am, Dan said:
I must point out that if the father HAD been armed and HAD shot the alligator there is a VERY GOOD CHANCE that Florida Fish & Game would be busy RIGHT NOW drawing up the paperwork to charge him with a crime. But since the coup de grace was administered by a badgemonkey sprinkled with the magic fairy dust of government authority the shooting was AUTOMATICALLY MADE RIGHTEOUS.
On July 3, 2018 at 1:23 pm, moe mensale said:
@Dan,
It’s a 3rd degree felony to wound or kill one in FL unless you wear a special uniform.
On July 4, 2018 at 9:41 am, Longbow said:
An AR-15? Isn’t that a semi-automatic? Like a nine millimeter? Aren’t those the really bad kind?
Shouldn’t he have just had bear spray? I mean, don’t they make an alligator spray or something?
On July 4, 2018 at 3:18 pm, Talktome said:
What gator? I don’t know what you are talking about occifer.
On July 4, 2018 at 3:20 pm, Talktome said:
Be interesting to see what a lawyer and prosecutor think. If dad shot gator, is he in trouble? If gator eats daughter, is he in trouble? Laughable that both could be true. Simply, government isn’t there for us, its there for government, for the control, for the treasure, for anything but we the people.
On July 5, 2018 at 5:26 pm, Paul B said:
Sounds like a no win situation on the part of the father. That being said I would have shot the thing and not called the cops or told them it left. as it was they had to have someone come verify it died, so evidence would not have been evident.