A 28-year-old man was mauled to death by an 11-foot alligator at a Texas marina after he ignored warning signs and told his partner "F*** that gator" before jumping into the water. Tommie Woodward died at Burkart's Marina on Adams Bayou in Orange, Texas, in 2015.
Woodward, who was living and working in Texas, had been playing pool and drinking beer at the relaxed bar before deciding to go for a swim around 2am. The bartender on duty, Michelle Wright, tried to dissuade him, noting that the marina's owner had erected a "No Swimming" sign weeks earlier after spotting an unusually massive alligator in the water.
A determined swimmer
Locals regularly swam in the bayou with little concern for the risk, since no fatal alligator attack had been recorded in Texas since 1836. Aware of that, Woodward remained determined. He removed his shirt and wallet and headed toward the water with his partner, Victoria LeBlanc, who quickly noticed an alligator lurking beneath the docks and warned him.
His reply became his final words: "F*** that gator."
Seconds after he plunged in, the alligator grabbed his arm. LeBlanc jumped in to try to help, but Woodward told her to return to shore. She called 911 and shortly afterward saw him floating face-down near the pier before the alligator dragged him beneath the surface once more.
His body was recovered about two hours later with his left arm missing from the elbow down.
Online reaction and family grief
Woodward's death spread across the internet virtually overnight, drawing attention from major news outlets and local television stations. Images from his Facebook profile accompanied the coverage, and comment sections filled with callous remarks about the incident.
His identical twin brother, Brian, told Buzzfeed he was furious at the online response. He said he avoided all media coverage in the immediate aftermath, declining interviews and turning away journalists who appeared at his doorstep. Tommie's siblings were also unhappy with how their brother was initially portrayed in the media.
The alligator is identified
Several days later, a local resident, Kent Robnett, acted independently. Robnett had spotted the same exceptionally large alligator near the bayou weeks earlier and harboured concerns about his own children swimming nearby. He located and shot the alligator, identifying it by its characteristic facial scarring.
Wildlife officials, working with a licensed hunter, inspected the alligator's stomach contents and discovered human remains, confirming it was the creature that killed Woodward. Robnett received nothing more than a written warning.
Aftermath
Burkart's Marina shut down permanently in 2016, shortly before its long-standing owner passed away. The owner reportedly grappled with remorse over what had happened on his premises, despite having displayed warning signs beforehand.
Woodward's mother, Kelley Creamer-Shibles, reflected on how unanticipated her son's death felt: "I always thought it was going to be some stupid car accident, not an alligator attack."
