Between 1999 and 2019, alligators killed only 10 people in the Southeast region of the United States, according to the Center for Disease and Prevention.
On Friday, an unnamed victim was killed by an alligator at approximately 11:45 a.m. near Excalibur Court outside of Myrtle Beach, SC. Horry County Fire Rescue first responded to the scene in a water rescue call.
"Upon arrival, units determined that an alligator took hold of a neighbor who was near the edge of a retention pond and retreated into the retention pond," the Horry County Police Department said on Facebook, adding that the body was recovered and the alligator was “removed.”
The victim’s identity has yet to be released and officials are still investigating the attack.
"Our hearts go out to the family and community members impacted by this tragic incident," wrote the Horry County Police Department on social media.
A biologist from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources advised the police to humanely euthanize the alligator as soon as it was found.
Alligators are not uncommon in the area where Friday’s attack occurred. A nearby neighbor posted a photo of alligators behind his condominium in mid-May.
“I couldn’t have imagined that it was likely one of these alligators that would later kill a man,” Jason Repak, a neighbor of the victim, wrote. “My prayers and heart go out to the family as my arms wrap tighter around my kids and dogs near these ponds.”
Repak adds that it’s common to see alligators walking between retention ponds.
“We’ve always looked at the alligators as a part of the community,” he said. “Everybody treats them with a healthy respect. You try to maintain distance from the banks, and when you see them out, you admire them from afar. They’re a part of nature.”
Alligator mating season runs from the beginning of May through the month of June as female alligators begin to lay eggs in June and early July. Male alligators are especially aggressive during mating seasons and force other male gators out of ponds, meaning more alligators are traveling longer distances and have wider home ranges.