Shark Kills Film Director in New Zealand, First Attack in 4 Years

A shark killed an award-winning director in New Zealand in a gruesome shark attack, prompting authorities to open fire and scare away the Great White, according to local reports.

The victim was 46-year-old Adam Strange, an award-winning director of short films, and who has also directed international commercials for Pepsi, the New Zealand Herald said.

Strange was swimming about 650 feet (200 meters ) offshore from Muriwai Beach when he was attacked, New Zealand Police Inspector Shawn Rutene said. He added police went out in inflatable lifesaving boats and shot at the shark, which they estimated was 12 to 14 feet long.

"It rolled over and disappeared," Rutene said, without saying whether police were certain that they killed the creature.

He was first attacked by one shark but soon afterwards, a witness says that up to three more sharks came.

Pio Mose, who was fishing at the beach, told the Herald he saw the swimmer struggle against the huge shark. He told the man to swim to the rocks, but it was too late.

"All of a sudden there was blood everywhere," Mose said. "I was shaking, scared, panicked."

According to the site, the last death from a shark attack in New Zealand was in Whangamata in December 2009, when a capsized kayaker was bitten by what was thought to be a great white. A coroner ruled drowning was the cause of death and said it was unknown whether the kayaker was attacked before or after dying.

Strange won a Crystal Bear award for best short film at the 2009 Berlin Film Festival. In a biography on Strange's website, he described himself as an avid outdoorsman.

"When I get a spare 5 minutes, I like to make a fruit smoothy, surf some big waves out on the West Coast," the site says.

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