It was a scene out of a horror movie. Footage shows the tense moments when police discovered an alligator. An officer ended up gunning down the animal after it attacked and ate a woman in Florida.
In the footage (which you can see via WSVN here), a police officer shouts, "Watch them, watch them." An officer then pulls the trigger and fires on the gator. Police came to the scene after someone saw the alligator dragging the woman in its mouth. Arriving at the scene, emergency responders partnered with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. The gator was in the water, but officers managed to pull it out of its hiding spot before they dispatched it.
They used a rope and chains to pull it from the water after taping its mouth. The alligator attacked and dragged Sabrina Peckham into the canal. She had been staying at a nearby homeless encampment. Police officers ended up slicing open the gator to remove part of her remains.
Her daughter opened up about her death afterwards.
Alligator Eats Woman
"My mother was a part of the homeless population that lived in the nearby wooded area," Breauana Dorris wrote in a Facebook post. "It is believed that she may have been walking to or from her camp site near the creek in the dark and the alligator attacked from the water. We expected to have many many more years with her. Unfortunately god has called her home sooner than our hearts were ready."
Previously, authorities had arrested Peckham on July 14, 2023 for trespassing on a county wetland. She had reportedly ignored warning signs from the area. The homeless woman had a history of trespassing and other convictions. However, her daughter said that she didn't deserve to get eaten by the alligator.
"No matter how you put it, no one deserves to die like this," her daughter wrote online. "To my mother: I love you more than I ever expressed, I miss you more than you'll ever know and I pray that you are looking down over me and your grandchildren. Please protect us. I'm so sorry this happened to you. I pray you are at peace and you are no longer struggling or hurting. I pray you found momo and pop and you all are watching down from above."
Alligator attacks aren't uncommon especially in Florida where there's a number of the reptiles. They can even climb fences.
