Officer shot in Virginia during retrieval of runaway cow

HARRISONBURG, Va. – A police officer was accidentally shot after he and others tried to corral a cow that had escaped from a livestock auction and was wandering city streets.

Harrisonburg police toldnews outlets the officer was shot in the lower body Saturday night. Police said Sunday he was in stable condition at UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville. Police spokesman Pete Ritchie said he had no updated information to release on Monday.

Police were investigating whether the officer was shot by a colleague or someone else involved in the retrieval effort.

Officers received calls about the escaped cow around 10:30 p.m. Saturday. At one point it was spotted near a 7-Eleven on North Main Street. Police said they intervened after the cow was injured during an attempt by ranchers to corral it. The cow charged at officers and someone fired a gun, injuring one of them, police said. The cow was euthanized after its capture.