The great killer shark being blamed for two recent deaths in Amity has been caught and killed. Police Chief Brody says all Beaches will be re-opened for July 4th and residents and guests a like should not be worried.
The shark was caught by fisherman one mile southwest of Amity. Mike Swenson the fishermen who caught the Shark will receive a $3,000 reward for his heroic actions. Once brought ashore, the shark was carefully inspected by marine biologist Matt Hooper from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Upon inspection Hooper says the shark is a Nurse Shark. “Nurse Sharks are among the most brutal and dangerous of all sharks and have been responsible for hundreds of swimmers’ deaths along the east coast of the United States.” The Nurse Shark weighed in at 11ft long and 875lbs.
Amity authorities are saying that residents and guests should have no fears of participating in water sports this holiday weekend as there is no longer a threat. Police Chief Brody however did say, “Islanders and guests alike should not be alarmed by the presence of shark spotters from the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, the FBI, and numerous local municipal and county police agencies in the waters off our beaches. They are simply a safety precaution that we hope will put our visitors at ease.
Town officials are, “urging all residents to recreate at the beaches in order to encourage the participation of all our visitors in the wonderful water.” Law enforcement officials are urging vigilance on the part of all citizens although they do believe they can safely say that the danger of further shark attacks has probably passed.
People were on edge at the beach despite it being packed for the holiday weekend with many people both on the shore and in the water. When whistles blew and lifeguards told beach goers to evacuate the water, people frantically got out of the water to find out it was a false alarm.
Wayne Winston and Brad Kaplan both 12 years-old on Amity strapped a fake shark tail to their backs and started swimming towards the crowd of people in the water. Shark spotters acted quickly to surround the shark with riffles drawn to come and find out it was two kids. The children were turned over to their parents. Calm was restored to the beach and there were no injuries.
Any shark sightings should be reported to authorities at their toll-free shark hotline, 1-800-sharksee.