Man charged with shooting alligator in Brevard, deputies say

Peyton Anderson, 20, was arrested Sunday

Peyton Anderson, 20, was arrested for shooting at an alligator, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. (Brevard County Sheriff's Office)

ROCKLEDGE, Fla. – A 20-year-old man was arrested on charges of using a pellet gun to shoot an alligator, according to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

Deputies said video captured Peyton Anderson shooting at the alligator Sunday in a body of water behind his house in Rockledge. The video has not been released.

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The alligator was not a threat to anyone or domestic animals, deputies said.

According to sheriff’s officials, the alligator was “visibly in distress or pain” after being shot, and Anderson made a “spontaneous utterance” to deputies, admitting to shooting the alligator.

Anderson faces charges of animal cruelty and attempting to injure or kill an alligator without authority. He was jailed on a bond of $2,500.