An Oklahoma man was killed Friday by two water buffaloes he had purchased just one day earlier, authorities reported. The animals also acted aggressively toward emergency personnel, delaying their efforts to provide aid.
Brad McMichael, 45, was attacked by the animals on his property in the town of Jones, approximately 20 miles outside of Oklahoma City. Jones Police Chief Bryan Farrington said in a statement that when first responders arrived around 8:35 p.m., they were “initially unable to reach the victim due to the aggressive behavior of the animals.”
Deputy Police Chief Sony Nohmer confirmed the delay was brief, lasting about three minutes. Officers were forced to kill one of the water buffaloes to safely access McMichael, who had sustained “multiple deep lacerations that proved to be fatal.” He was pronounced dead at the scene. A second water buffalo, which remained agitated and posed a threat, was also dispatched by authorities.
McMichael’s fiancée, Jennifer Green, who was present during the incident, said she believes the attack occurred while he was preparing water for the newly acquired animals. She emphasized that McMichael was an experienced farmer who would not have been careless. “We don’t know how he got in that situation,” Green said, noting that the stock tanks were not yet full.
The farm, which has been in McMichael’s family for at least three generations, was described by loved ones as his lifelong dream. “His farm was his dream, and I had the privilege of helping him with it for a little while,” Green wrote in a statement on the McMichael Farms Facebook page.
His ex-wife, Amy Smith, echoed the sentiment. “Farming, our son and the community of Jones meant everything to him,” she said. “It’s what he lived for.”
McMichael is survived by his 21-year-old son, Rylan, as well as his ex-wife, a sister, a mother, and a grandmother.
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