SIESTA KEY, Fla. — Florida wildlife officials are investigating a viral video that appears to show Alex Kompothecras of MTV's show "Siesta Key" shooting a shark.
>> See a news report that includes an edited version of the clip (WARNING: Viewer discretion advised)
According to the Bradenton Herald and New York Post, the video was circulated online over the past few days and has been drawing outrage. It shows a man wearing a red hat shooting a shark in the gills twice before laughing as it dangled helplessly on a fishing line. The man in the video is reportedly believed to be Kompothecras, who was previously pictured wearing the same "Make America Great Again" hat and posing with a dead hammerhead on MTV's Facebook page.
Kompothecras later deleted the video and other offensive images of wildlife from his Instagram page, telling People, "There are images of me, and I feel horrible."
“I’ve made my share of bad decisions, and I feel horrible, but all I can say is that I would not make those decisions again,”
[ he told People ]
. “I was being stupid, but I’ve grown from that. It’s an eye-opener for me because it’s made me think long and hard about things I’ve done, and I’ve learned from that. This has all been a shocking experience.”
The video comes just after another video showing a shark being dragged to death by a boat went viral. Kompothecras reportedly has admitted to knowing the man responsible for that incident but said that he doesn’t “agree with what he did.”
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While it's legal to shoot sharks in federal waters, it's illegal to do so in Florida waters.