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Central Florida man who lost hand in gator attack speaks

A Lakeland man whose left hand was bitten off by an alligator is talking about the experience.

"You can see how swollen it is. Look at the difference in elbows," Jesse Kinsinger told Bay News 9.

Kinsinger was released from the hospital over the weekend.

He was attacked by a gator while swimming in the lake next to his apartment complex approximately two weeks ago.

Kinsinger said the gator first came at him while he was in the middle of the lake.

"It grabbed me on my leg,” said Kinsinger. “I felt like it was just feeling me out and I got marks on both sides of my thighs on my top and the bottom of teeth. It grabbed me real quick like, bam, just a touch."

Kinsigner said he started swimming for his life and was almost to shore when the gator attacked him again.

"I turn back one second to see and he grabs my arm, bam, 15 feet away from the shore, over there at that brick wall,” said Kinsinger. “His mouth was 180 degrees wide open, nothing but white and tongue and teeth. As soon as it crunched and he locked on he started doing the barrel roll. I didn't know how big this gator was, so, of course, I'm rolling with it."

Kinsinger said he crawled to shore after the gator tore off his forearm.

His brother-in-law helped him until paramedics arrived.

"FWC says they pulled a big gator out of this lake the next day after the attack,” said Josh Rojas. “That gator measured 10 feet, 2 inches and a necropsy confirmed it was the same gator that took Jesse's hand."

Kinsinger said he feels bad for the gator and did not want it killed.

He also wants to clear up any misconceptions.

Kinsinger said he went into the lake at night was because he was scared of the police even though he had not committed a crime.

Kinsinger said the police were called because he was having a psychological issues and got into an argument with his mom in the parking lot.

“For people to post on there, 'good, I hope he got what he deserved, yadda-yadda.' I didn't attack a policeman, I didn't commit a crime, I didn't do anything wrong," said Kinsinger. "I have horrible PTSD. How many people you know have been shot twice and lived to tell the story?"

Kinsinger said he was shot while trying to protect his mom during a home invasion in Plant City in 2012.

After Kinsinger was bitten by the gator, he was placed under the Baker Act.

The family has set up a GoFuneMe account to help pay for his medical bills.

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