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.”
While it's legal to shoot sharks in federal waters, it's illegal to do so in Florida waters.
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