MMWTM: Florida Gunman Shoots An Elderly Volunteer Because He ‘Doesn’t Like Turtles’

Miss Me With That Mess:

We have two types of turtles in Washington state: the painted turtle and the western pond turtle. They are super cute. In the state of Florida, turtles are protected by federal mandates due to illegal harvesting, habitat encroachment and pollution.

So tell me why this man in Florida shot up a beach and injured turtle nests, and beat up elderly turtle volunteers? All because he "doesn't like turtles and doesn't like turtle volunteers."

WTF? Who doesn't like turtles? And what did the volunteers ever do to you?

Michael McAuliffe was sitting on a bench around 11 p.m., watching the volunteers attempt to guard turtle hatchlings. He got so bothered by the scene that he jumped up and punched one of the elderly volunteers and started ripping up the stakes around the nest.

Stan Pannaman, a 72-year-old volunteer, was a Vietnam War veteran, and he wasn't having any of that mess. He whipped out his gun and told McAuliffe that messing with turtle nests is a felony. Stan put the gun back in his pocket, but then Michael jumped on him and started wrestling him down and took the gun. There was a long tussle before Stan ended up getting shot in the hip, but he will be OK.

Whew! So much drama. Meanwhile, the turtles did nothing to join in the fight. They didn't need to -- they have that turtle power.