LAKELAND, Fla. (WSVN) — Bizarre behavior in Lakeland led to a deadly deputy-involved shooting after, investigators say, the subject was already injured and high on drugs after being confronted for theft.
“Another witness tried to talk to him, and he said the guy growled at me, so I ran into the house and locked the door,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
Deputies arrived at a gas station just when, they say, Timothy Schulz was using a brick to attempt to break into a truck. When they confronted him, he turned his attention to them, attacking them with garden shears.
They attempted to tase him and de-escalate the situation, but Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Schulz climbed into one of their patrol vehicles and tried to grab a gun.
“I heard the gunshots and jumped out of bed,” said Steve, a resident. “When I opened the garage door, I saw the two deputies pulling the suspect from the car and onto the pavement.”
Officers then opened fire, fatally striking the subject several times.
“They were just doing their job and defending themselves. It was quite a traumatic event. I’ve been to some in my career in the past, and this one pretty well tops it,” said Steve.
Deputies believe Schulz was on meth at the time of the incident. Moments before he tried to break into the truck, he was attacked and bitten by an alligator while swimming across a nearby lake.
“The fact he was bitten by an alligator, significantly, and still continued his rampage is shocking. But if you’re on enough meth, then the person you see is not the person that’s attacking,” said Sheriff Judd.
The deputies involved in the shooting were not injured and are on administrative leave pending the investigation.
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