A bull apparently killed a Northern California rancher and then was shot dead when it threatened first responders, authorities said.
The incident occurred Thursday afternoon in rural Contra Costa County, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
A report of an unresponsive rancher lying in a field drew sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and an animal control officer to the scene, said Steve Aubert, a fire marshal public information officer with the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District.
“It is believed that the bull may have attacked the rancher,” Aubert said.
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The bull approached emergency personnel in a threatening manner and deputies shot it to protect them, Aubert said.
The county medical examiner will determine the cause of death of the rancher, whose identity was not released.
