Spoiled rich kid and wannabe reality television star, Alex Kompothecras, has been identified as the man pulling the trigger in a viral video of an endangered hammerhead being shot repeatedly off the coast of Florida.
The video shows a young man in a “Make America Great Again” hat, identified as Kompethcras by the Miami Herald, firing two shots from a handgun into a hooked great hammerhead shark’s head and gills. An Instagram post reportedly belonging to Kompethecras shows him posing with the dead shark while wearing the same clothing.
Hammerhead sharks are considered endangered and are protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. Under Florida law, it llegal for fishermen to land great, smooth, or scalloped hammerhead sharks in state waters.
Kompethecras is one of the actors featured in MTV’s Sarasota-based reality show, “Siesta Key,” which depicts a group of millennials living along the popular Gulf Coast beach town. The show has been criticized for the cast’s attitude of entitlement and has been billed as “Jersey Shore with southern drawls” by critics.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission stated that it is investigating these potential crimes but has not made any arrests.
“Our investigation is active and ongoing,” the FWC said in a statement. “Since there can be many complexities with an investigation like this, we appreciate the public’s patience as officers work to determine the details of the incident. We take this incident seriously, and share the public’s concern.”
This is the second instance of the torturing or killing of a shark being filmed that has drawn the ire of the internet. In July, a close friend of Kompethecras, Michael Wenzel, was identified as the man responsible for dragging a shark behind a speeding boat until it was reduced to a flayed carcass. The other men on the boat who were recorded laughing at the shark’s fate included Nicholas Burns Easterling, Spencer Heintz and Bo Benac, according to social media.
Kompethecras was not involved in that incident, however, subsequent investigation showed that he and Wenzel had participated in other instances including harvesting goliath grouper, tarpon and eagle rays — all illegal in Florida state waters.
Kompethecras attempted to distance himself from Wenzel before the latest video and photos emerged.
“I’ve been fishing for 15 years in Sarasota and I’m very respectful of the profession,” he said in an interview with People Magazine. “I love the water. I consider it my backyard and I would never consider doing something like that. I don’t condone what he did and I was horrified by it.”
In response to the videos and other social media postings, a Facebook group, Boycott Siesta Key MTV, has received over 12,000 likes in the last month — more than 2,000 more likes than the show’s official Facebook page. Social media backlash forced the show’s premiere party to be cancelled after cast members received unspecified threats.
The drama surrounding the shark-killings that has played out across social media has proven to be a more realistic glimpse into the lives of Kompethecras and Co. than anything the MTV show has portrayed.
This group of friends are part of a larger group of young residents on the island that have gained notoriety over the past few years for using the wealth and privilege of their parents to flaunt local boating and fishing laws and regulations throughout Sarasota and Manatee Counties. Local captains have dubbed them the “Ass Clown Armada” for their unruly behavior on the water.
Alex’s father, Gary Kompethecras, is the founder of the “1-800-Ask-Gary” lawyer and medical referral service. Benac’s mother, Betsy, is a Manatee County Commissioner and Republican Chair. She is an avid Trump supporter who frequently touted her family’s good Christian values on the campaign trail. Heintz’s father, Steven, is a prominent south Florida Lawyer.
Wenzel’s father, Robert, is a Bradenton city planning manager. Michael Wenzel had been the subject of FWC investigations in the past but was never formally charged for the violations, a fact that he flaunted with his frequent use of the hashtag #FWCmostwanted.
Source: miamiherald.com