A man in Polk County was shot and killed by deputies on Memorial Day after acting erratically and surviving an alligator attack. Neighbors said Timothy Schultz acted aggressively, refused assistance, even growled at one resident before running through backyards with garden shears.
When the deputies arrived, they attempted to calm Schultz down, but he resisted, escalating the situation.
“We try to de-escalate,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “We tased him twice. We tell him to drop the shears to no effect. The tasers had no effect on him. He climbed into a vehicle committing another armed burglary where he was trying to get to our rifle and our shotgun, and we shot him.”
An anonymous neighbor, who didn’t want to be identified for security reasons, described the situation as terrifying.
“We ran into the bathroom literally, and we were very scared because we didn’t know if shots were going to come through the windows,” said the neighbor.
Sheriff Judd called Schultz’s actions as strange and noted he had a lengthy criminal past regarding methamphetamine. The deputies involved in the shooting are currently on administrative leave while the investigation continues.
