Two water buffaloes attacked and killed an Oklahoma farmer just one day after he bought them at an auction. 45-year-old Brad McMichael died on Friday, July 11, to two “aggressive” water buffaloes, according to the Jones Police Department.
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Two “Aggressive” Water Buffaloes Kill Farmer One Day After Their Purchase
In its Facebook statement, the JPD revealed that the authorities responded to this emergency around 8:35 PM. The two animals attacked McMichael at his farm at 7501 N Henney Road in the small town of Jones.
Once officers arrived, they were unable to reach the victim due to the animals’ hostile behavior. It took about three minutes to figure it out, said Jones Deputy Police Chief Sony Nohmer to NBC News.
“One water buffalo was immediately dispatched to allow safe access to the scene,” the statement said. Once they were able to enter the area, they identified the victim who had “sustained multiple deep lacerations that proved to be fatal.”
During their investigation, the second water buffalo suddenly became angrier. Since it posed a threat to emergency personnel, they dispatched the second one as well.
Officers quickly put together that the two aggressive animals were responsible for the farmer’s death. They learned that McMichael bought the water buffaloes just one day prior, on July 10.
It seems that while McMichael was tending to the creatures, he became trapped in the enclosure. This is what officers believe led to his death.
“The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has taken custody of Mr. McMichael and transported him to their facility for further examination,” it added.
Fiancée Of Dead Farmer Speaks Out
NBC News also spoke with McMichael’s fiancée, Jennifer Green, who was on the scene when McMichael died. “I was there,” said Green.”
Green believes her fiancé was giving the animals water when they attacked him. She also mentioned how he is a skilled farmer who wouldn’t put himself in a dangerous situation on purpose.
“He wouldn’t have been casual and, like I said, he was very experienced,” said Green. “So we don’t know how he got in that situation. But the stock tanks were not full of water yet. So we’re not sure if he was dumping them out to fill them with fresh water before he left. But that’s when it happened.”
McMichael Farms released its own statement on Facebook concerning the tragic death. “Most are aware by now we lost Bradley on Friday in a tragic accident,” it began. “His farm was his dream and I had the privilege of helping him with it for a little while.
“The future looks different now and there are a lot of things to handle but at some point, we do have meat inventory that is still available and will need to be sold.”