FELLSMERE — A man waiting for the GoLine bus outside the Sonrise apartments in Fellsmere Wednesday morning found himself staring back at a bull as it charged toward him. That man ran for cover behind a tree and called 9-1-1 to report the animal, explaining to the dispatcher that there were several school children gathering, waiting for their own bus.
Fellsmere Police Officer Jeff Gibbs responded to the call, as did Assistant Fire Chief Brian Burkeen. Burkeen told Fellsmere Police after the incident that the bull initially charged him and his truck before it targeted Ofc. Gibbs.
Ofc. Gibbs approached the bull in hopes of drawing its attention away from the school children. The bull then charged the officer, which caused him to draw his weapon and fire three times, according to the statement Fellsmere Police released.
The officer successfully hit the bull each time, but still the bull charged, knocking Ofc. Gibbs down and injuring his ankle. The bull then fell to the ground but got back up and continued moving through the apartment complex.
The officer trailed the bull, ensuring it didn’t return to the area where the children were. But the bull turned around and again charged at Ofc. Gibbs. The officer fired another four rounds, striking the bull each time.
The bull died of the gunshot wounds.
The bull is known to be the property of Fellsmere resident Mike Reuhman. Reuhman was notified of the incident and was given a $115 citation for “failure to keep animal under restraint.”
The police report stated that there were approximately 20 children on the scene of the incident. The Sebastian River Middle School Resource Officer, Dep. David May, located 10 students from his school and got written statements from them. The students were also offered counseling services, according to Fellsmere police.
Ofc. Gibbs opted to drive himself to an area hospital to have his injured ankle treated. Chief Keith Touchberry said in a press release that Ofc. Gibbs was released from the hospital and is now recovering at home.