Idaho cattleman Jack Yantis died in a barrage of police gunfire on a highway near his ranch while trying to aid a raging bull that was injured after colliding with a vehicle.
Eyewitnesses to the November 1st incident said panicked deputies from Adams County “escalated” an already tense situation, and that when Yantis undertook to shoot his wounded animal they gunned him down instead.
According to other first responders, the bull was also shot and died at the scene, following that shootout.
The two officers accused of provoking the fatal confrontation were then relieved of their duties while the State Police investigated excessive force claims filed by the dead rancher’s family.
This week, however, the FBI announced they will likewise probe the circumstances of how 62-year-old Jack Yantis met such a tragic and violent end.
Those wrongful death inquiries will be conducted independent of each other, a law enforcement official has stated, but could “take some time” to complete.
