Butcher-bound bull escapes, is fatally shot by police chief

SKOWHEGAN, Maine – A 600-pound bull bound for the butcher escaped its trailer and led authorities in Maine on a 1 1/2-hour chase before it was fatally shot by the police chief, who said it posed a threat to onlookers.

The bull broke loose from its trailer around 4:30 p.m. Monday in Skowhegan. The bull ran around a few buildings before jumping in the Kennebec River.

Skowhegan Police Chief David Bucknam says authorities tried to catch the bull by luring it with a steer, but were unsuccessful.

He says he shot the bull when it climbed a riverbank and started acting aggressively toward a group of 50 onlookers.

Bucknam said the dead bull slid back into the river and floated downstream, and then down the falls at a dam. He said he didn’t know what happened to the bull.