Florida

New Video Shows Shark Being Shot Before Dragging Death Off Florida Coast

What to Know

  • Defense attorneys have argued the shark was already dead before both the shooting and the dragging took place.

Disturbing new video released this week shows a shark that was caught on camera being dragged to death by a speeding boat in Florida was actually shot before that incident took place.

NBC affiliate WFLA-TV says the video was released by prosecutors in the case, showing at least one of the men firing shots from a gun at the shark while it was swimming in the waters off Tampa Bay in 2017.

The later video, showing the shark being dragged by the boat as it went speeding through the water, led to worldwide outrage and later the arrest of the three men. Two of them took plea deals while the third, Robert Benac, is set to go to trial in September for a charge of animal cruelty.

“The video, in and of itself, takes it to a whole other level, and I think that’s going to make or break this case,” defense attorney Bryant Camareno told the station.

Defense attorneys have argued the shark was already dead before both the shooting and the dragging took place.

“If that’s the case, then they should win this,” Camareno, who is not representing the defendant in the case, added. “But, if there’s evidence of the animals alive, then the jury can convict.”

Contact Us