money Florida officials recommend 2 charges for man accused of beating a lemon shark to death with a hammer: report
Florida officials recommended charges for a man accused of beating a shark to death, Florida Today reported.
A 33-year-old fisherman was caught on camera using a hammer to repeatedly strike a lemon shark.
Eyewitnesses said he used the hammer to "rip out the shark's gills."
A Florida man accused of clubbing a lemon shark to death with a hammer last month could possibly face charges in the brutal beachfront incident caught on camera.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recommended two misdemeanor charges for the 33-year-old fisherman who was filmed repeatedly striking a mid-size shark on an Indian Harbour Beach park on December 20, according to Florida Today.
Graphic footage shows the blonde-haired man using a hammer to strike the approximately 5-foot lemon shark before trying several times to throw the animal's carcass back into the ocean. A second man stood nearby.
Witnesses to the scene told the wildlife commission that the man used the hammer to "rip out the shark's gills," according to Florida Today.
The outlet obtained a 10-page incident report which recommended two charges for the accused man, including harvesting or possessing a prohibited species, and not releasing a prohibited species "without unnecessary harm" after catching it, both of which apply to anglers in the state.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment or a copy of the investigation.
A spokesperson with the Florida State Attorney's Office told the newspaper that the fisherman had not yet been charged, and said the office had not received the wildlife commission's report as of Thursday afternoon.
The City of Indian Harbour Beach Police Department said in a December statement that observers notified authorities after witnessing the alleged attack.
A local man who alerted police also captured the incident on Instagram live, prompting a wildlife commission employee to drive to the beach and question the suspect that same day, according to Florida Today, ultimately issuing the fisherman a written warning.
An eyewitness told the commission that the man repeatedly beat the shark until he realized people were watching him, the outlet reported. The dead shark was eventually taken out by the waves.
Lemon sharks are frequently targeted by commercial and recreational fisheries, according to Oceana. The species are listed as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Read the original article on Insider
