Hilton Head Island, South Carolina - A 69-year-old woman was attacked and killed by an alligator Tuesday while walking her dogs around her neighborhood.

Tuesday morning, officers answered a call about a possible alligator attack in Spanish Wells, a residential community in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

They found the elderly woman at the edge of a lagoon. Per the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office's Facebook post, the woman "appeared unresponsive."

The first responders were trying to administer emergency care when "an alligator appeared and was guarding the woman, interrupting emergency efforts." Before they could continue their efforts, the alligator – a 9-foot, 9-inch male according to the New York Times – had to be removed and euthanized.

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The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Beaufort Country Sheriff's Office said this is the second fatal alligator attack in the county in less than a year. In August 2022, an 88-year-old woman was attacked and killed in a Hilton Head gated community.

Per the South Carolina Department of Resources' website, alligator attacks are rare.

"Most attacks occur in water, but alligators have assaulted humans and pets on land. People who are walking their pets often are the secondary target after the pet escapes."