Man 'punched 9ft hammerhead shark to death - then posed for pictures beside its dying body'

A man has been arrested after allegedly 'punching to death' a 9ft-long hammerhead shark then posing for pictures.
Horrified witnesses said the stricken animal was dragged on to the beach by two men - and a young child was also placed on top of it for photos.
Eye-witness Robert Petty said: “The white male had his left arm around the shark’s head and was punching it repeatedly in the stomach."

Mr Petty said the duo later dragged the shark back into the water in St Andrews State Park, Florida, in a bid to revive it, but the shark lost its fight for life.


Granger Ray Wooten, of Lafayette, Georgia, was named locally as the arrested man.
An official from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission said Wooten admitted catching the animal but initially denied hitting it, reports the Panama City News Herald.
“Mr Wooten then changed his story and attempted to explain to me that he was punching the shark around the stomach area to get the air out of its lungs,” said the wildlife officer.

“Then he said: ‘It’s kinda like doing CPR on a shark.’
"I explained to Mr Wooten that if he wanted to revive the shark, all he had to do was run water through the shark’s gills.”
Wooten was charged with taking a prohibited species and his arraignment is scheduled to take place on December 7.