Idaho Cattle Rancher Killed in Shootout With Sheriff's Deputies Over Fate of Injured Bull
An Idaho rancher was killed when a conflict with sheriff’s deputies over the fate of an aggressive, injured bull apparently escalated into a shootout, reports the Associated Press.
The incident began Sunday with a Subaru station wagon running into the bull on a highway in Adams County. The bull was reportedly injured in the crash, and the driver and passenger in the Subaru required emergency services to help pull them out of the wrecked car.
“The bull was very agitated and was aggressive to emergency services, as well as the other cars coming up and down the highway,” Adams County Sheriff Ryan Zollman said.
The bull reportedly charged responders as they worked at the scene, and the decision was eventually made by sheriff’s deputies to put the animal down. Before they could act, the bull’s owner, 62-year-old Jack Yantis, arrived on the scene. Idaho’s KTVB.com reports that Yantis was called by emergency dispatchers who believed the bull was his. He was armed with a rifle.
What happened next is still under investigation, but Zollman said there was an altercation and Yantis and both deputies all fired their weapons.
Yantis was fatally wounded and died at the scene. One of the deputies suffered a minor injury.
Council, where Yantis lived and where the shootout took place, is a town of roughly 800 people. The rancher’s death is described as a big loss:
“To the best of my knowledge, this is the first officer-involved shooting that Adams County has ever had,” Zollman said. “This is going to be a big hit to this community. The gentleman involved, Mr. Yantis, was a well-known cattle rancher around here. It’s just a sad deal for everybody involved, for the whole community.”
The deputies have been placed on paid leave. The driver and passenger in the Subaru were transported via air ambulance to a local hospital. The bull, sadly, was shot and killed at the scene.
