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Man bitten by gator in Lake County after mistaking it for dead

File photo of Florida alligator

LAKE COUNTY, Fla. — A Lake County man was bitten by an alligator after mistaking it for dead.

The Lake County Sheriff's Office said Brian Rohm and his son were on a boat Saturday at Gourd Neck Springs Estates near Carvaggio Loop in Montverde. The pair, who had a permit to hunt alligators, shot the gator twice with a specialized firearm known as a "bang stick" and thought it was dead.

But the alligator bit Rohm, 41, as he tried to get the gator in the boat.

The alligator then jumped back into the water.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.