A 41-year-old man died after being attacked by an alligator in a Florida canal.

According to witnesses, the alligator grabbed the man by his arm, resurfacing once before he died.

The Charlotte Sun reported Kevin Albert Murray, of North Port, was swimming in Apollo Waterway to cool off after a day of lawn maintenance work.

Several neighbors watched as Murray was attacked Friday evening in the 17th recorded fatal alligator attack in Florida.

The 12-foot, 2-inch alligator bit off the tip of Murray's thumb, but the rest of his body was left intact in the Friday evening attack.

The gator was captured and shot by state alligator trappers.

Family of Murray say he was a good swimmer and had a knowledge of alligators.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was investigating whether the alligator that attacked Murray had previously come into contact with humans.