A small peaceful town in Idaho has experienced its first ever police officer-involved shooting, according to the Adams County sheriff.
This weekend a local cattle rancher and well-known businessman, 62-year-old Jack Yantis of Council, Idaho lost his life after a quarrel with two cops.
The shock proved too much for his wife Donna Yantis and she suffered a heart attack after hearing about her husband’s death, she is in critical condition.
But it is not just the family that is having a difficult time coming to terms with the tragedy; the entire town of 800 is grieving the loss of one of their own.
Even Adams County Sheriff Ryan Zollman was misty eyed talking to the media about incident.
“It’s just a sad deal for everybody involved, for the whole community,” he said.
The episode unfolded when a Subaru station wagon hit a bull on the highway two days ago.
Two Adams County deputies and medical personnel responded to the situation.
US 95 is the route where the accident took place; the public road has clear signage indicating that livestock might be on the move
According to Zollman, as the officers were trying to pull the trapped driver and a passenger out of the car, the animal started becoming agitated; emergency responders and the officers felt threatened by it.
Although dispatchers contacted Yantis, it is not yet known how they figured that the bull belonged to him.
The two cops were preparing to put down the animal when the cattle rancher stepped out to check on the animal.
Police are now claiming that he “had a rifle.”
All that is known at this stage is that there was some sort of an argument amongst the three men.
Details are still murky; nonetheless, Zollman is ready to reveal that the two deputies also fired their weapons.
Yantis died instantly, the animal was also shot and killed, and one of the officers suffered a minor injury.
Both cops’ names have been kept confidential and they were placed on paid administrative leave after the shooting.
Council resident Julie Wilson says she went past the accident the night before and it did not look serious, the bull was alive and emergency staff as well as police were present at the scene.
However, she never imagined that she would wake up the next morning to such devastating news.
“It’s just terrible,” she said.
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