Man ‘apparently killed’ by alligator while walking in floodwaters, Louisiana cops say
A 71-year-old Louisiana man was attacked and “apparently killed” by an alligator in hurricane floodwaters, police say.
The man was walking in floodwaters in Slidell following Hurricane Ida around noon Monday when his wife, who was inside their home, heard a “commotion” coming from outside, according to a news release from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.
She went outside and found a “large alligator attacking her husband,” she told deputies, according to the release.
She “immediately ran” to help him and try to stop the attack, the sheriff’s office said. When the alligator let go of her husband, she pulled him out of the water and went inside to get first aid supplies.
When she returned with the supplies, she realized his injuries were more severe than she thought and paddled her pirogue about a mile to higher ground so she could call for help, she told the sheriff’s office.
But when she got back home, her husband was missing from the steps where she left him, the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office said Monday evening it used high water vehicles and flatboats to try to find the man but that “all attempts have been futile.”
Officials are investigating the incident and no other information was available Tuesday morning.
“Sheriff Randy Smith warns residents to be extra vigilant with walking in flooded areas as wildlife has been displaced as well during this storm and alligators and other animals may have moved closer into neighborhoods,” the news release said.
Slidell is in southeastern Louisiana, where Ida hit as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday — bringing extreme winds, catastrophic storm surge and heavy rain to the area. The city is about 32 miles from New Orleans.
This story was originally published August 31, 2021 at 9:17 AM with the headline "Man ‘apparently killed’ by alligator while walking in floodwaters, Louisiana cops say."
