A person in South Carolina has killed by an alligator Friday near a community retention pond outside Myrtle Beach, authorities said.
Fire rescue and police arrived around 11:45 a.m. Friday, responding to a water rescue call, and later recovered the victim from the pond, according to a Horry County Police Department statement.
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Section officials determined the alligator should be euthanized.
A police investigation is ongoing, according to the statement. The victim’s identity and details surrounding the cause of death have not yet been released.
American alligators can be found along the Atlantic coast and also inhabit some wetlands in Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, according to the Department of Natural Resources. South Carolina’s coastal marshlands are home to important nesting areas and habitats for alligators.
Camille Fine is a trending visual producer on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She loves to make pizza, photograph friends and spoil her loving cat Pearl.