Case Snapshot
Case ID: 17361
Classification: Fighting
Animal: chicken
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Sunday, Jan 30, 2011

County: Tulare

Disposition: Not Charged

Person of Interest: Jose Luis Ochoa

The Tulare County Sheriff's Department says it was a tragic accident.

On January 30th, an anonymous caller alerted deputies to a cockfight taking place in a field near Avenue 24 and Road 128 in Earlimart.

"When deputies arrived, people started fleeing," said Sgt. Martin King. "One of the roosters jumped at the decedent, inflicting some type of injury and causing his death."

Authorities said they found evidence of cockfighting including five dead roosters. They later learned 35-year-old Jose Luis Ochoa suffered a severe cut to his calf from a blade attached to one of the fighting birds. He was taken to Delano Regional Medical Center where he died.

The Kern County coroner conducted the autopsy, and Tulare County handled the investigation. Both agencies say, for now, the case is closed.

"There are no outstanding suspects other than the one that it is deceased," said King. "We are unaware of who was in attendance at the cockfights."

Authorities said this is the first time they have seen a human die as the result of a cockfight.

"Number one, the sport is illegal in the state of California," said King. "As far as the dangers, this was just an unfortunate freak accident. I really can't compare it to anything or say anything else because that's basically all that it is."

Authorities say it was only after Ochoa's family contacted them that they were able to connect his death to the cockfights.

References

« CA State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Tulare County, CA

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