A 14-year-old boy died after riding a bull at a rodeo for the first time in his life and suffering from cardiac arrest, officials and his family said.
The rider, identified on Facebook as Denim Bradshaw by the event organizers, died after riding a bull at the Rafter K. Rodeo Winter Series at American Legion Post 290 in King, North Carolina, on Saturday, officials said.
His sister wrote on a GoFundMe page for his funeral expenses that it was the first bull he had ever ridden at a rodeo.
Emergency personnel responded to a call for cardiac arrest around 8:24 p.m. local time, Stokes County Director of Emergency Services Brandon Gentry told NBC affiliate WRAL. Bradshaw was riding a bull when he experienced cardiac arrest and later died at the hospital, Gentry said.
It remained unclear what prompted the boy’s health emergency.
“This is a tragic event and words cannot describe the pain felt by this loss,” Rafter K. Rodeo Company wrote on Facebook.
Bradshaw’s mother, Shannon Bowman, shared her heartbreak in a Facebook post on Jan. 29.
“Last night was the longest night of my life!!” she wrote. “My beautiful handsome 14 year old son had went to be with the lord! I awoke in a nightmare for the rest of my life!
“I hate myself for this call but he was loving every second of it I never seen him so happy as I had seen him last night before his departure.”
“Denim baby you did it!!” she continued. “You did that!! I’m so proud of your braveness and your courage! My lil cowboy I will love and miss you so much and I know God will take care of you.”
A GoFundMe page that appears to have been set up by his sister, Persephone Bowman, shared more details about his life, including his dream of becoming a police officer.
“Denim adventured into the world of bull riding and fell in love. The boots, the cowboy hats, and those big belt buckles– he loved it all,” his sister wrote.
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