Police Chief Martin Brody has reported that a fisherman caught the shark suspected to have caused the deaths of two Amity citizens earlier this week.
The deaths of Wendy Watson and Alex Kintner are both under investigation, and the police department has said that they have been linked to possible shark activities.
Watson, a 16-year-old sophomore at Amity High School, was found dead on the beach on the night of July 1. There were no witnesses to her death, although an unidentified male said that Watson had decided to go swimming in a remote area of the beach.
Kintner, who was 10 at the time of his death, was killed while playing with friends in the waters of the crowded Village Beach. Witnesses report that Kintner had been floating on a rubber raft when he disappeared under the water. His body has not been found, though his raft had what appeared to be a large bite mark in it.
In response to the death of her son, Audrey Kintner offered a $3,000 reward to anyone who kills the shark that is suspected in his death. That reward was claimed today by unidentified fishermen who killed a shark 1 mile off the beaches of Amity.
In a press conference this morning, Brody said that the shark was examined by marine biologist Matt Hooper, who said that it is the shark suspected in the deaths of Watson and Kintner.
“Course it’s the same one,” Brody said. “How could it not be?”
He said that the shark has not been cut open to confirm its identity as the killer responsible for the deaths.
“I doubt that there’s another one of these beasts in these waters,” he said.
This morning, the beach was crowded with people enjoying the sun, listening to music, and playing games. Laughter filled the beach while the waters were empty except for the shark spotters patrolling the waters in their boats.
One family entered the water, adults on both ends of a rubber raft carrying three children. Soon the water was filled with people swimming, shouting, laughing, and splashing.
The waters emptied out once again as a shark fin was spotted near some swimmers. Lifeguards on the beach blew their whistles and called for everyone to leave the water as the shark spotters moved in with their boats and guns.
The people who had so enthusiastically run into the water only a few minutes before ran for the beach. What they were running away from turned out to be only two boys playing with a cardboard shark fin.
The death of the real shark caused Brody to change his strategy for dealing with the recent deaths in town. Last night, at a meeting between Mayor Bob Farley, Chief Brody, and the Amity Board of Selectmen, Brody announced that the beaches were going to be closed. Before the death of the shark, the beaches were going to be closed for 24 hours.
Brody explained today that the beaches were going to stay open, although shark spotters from the Coast Guard, the Marine Patrol, the Massachusetts State Police, the U.S. Navy, Homeland Security, the FBI, and other local agencies would be on the beach looking for signs of shark activity.
“There’s always the possibility [that there are more sharks], and we’re going to be very careful,” Brody said.
Brody said in a press release that the police department believes that there is no more danger of shark attacks. He said that any shark sightings should be reported at 1-800-sharksee.