Overview

• A convenience store clerk’s 5:56 a.m. call drew deputies to Timothy Schulz, 42, who had a lengthy record of methamphetamine arrests and was released from jail on May 20 before emerging from an alligator-infested lake with a bloodied arm.
• Residents say Schulz refused a life preserver and growled at bystanders as he swam, then picked up garden shears and threw a brick at a vehicle upon exiting the water.
• Deputies attempted to de-escalate the encounter with two Tasings that had no apparent effect before Schulz climbed into their running patrol SUV and reached for a secured rifle.
• Two deputies—a trainee and a trainer—opened fire when Schulz allegedly tried to access the patrol car’s weapon, killing him; no officers were injured.
• The shooting is under review by the 10th Judicial Circuit’s Officer Involved Deadly Incident Task Force and other agencies, and the deputies involved are on administrative leave.