During a rodeo competition, a 14-year-old cowboy was thrown from a bull and stomped to death.
On Saturday night, US competitor Denim Bradshaw from North Carolina was taking part in the winter season of Rafter K. Rodeo when he tripped over a bull.
The audience gasped in horror as the adolescent, who had been trampled on the chest, went into cardiac arrest.
The youngster was in need of immediate medical attention, so emergency personnel were called to attempt and save him.
Denim was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, but the doctor there declared him dead.
Shannon Bowman, his grieving mother, paid tribute to her son with a moving Facebook post.
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… he was loving every second of it I never seen him so happy as I had seen him last night before his departure.”
Shannon said her son Denim was a huge riding fan as she took comfort he died doing what he loved.
She added: “Denim baby you did it. 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.”
Following the tragic news, according to the Rafter K Rodeo Company, members of the rodeo club bowed their heads and removed their stetsons in honour of Denim.
The mum said: “Like I’m a single mom, I had spent these last two weeks saving my money to buy my son everything he needed for the rodeo.
“‘I wanted to make sure that he had everything he needed to be safe, but she has no idea that the next day her son wasn’t going to be there with her.”
The Rafter K Rodeo company praised the parents and emergency services who tried to save Denim.
In a statement the company said: “Our sport is truly a family and we are so thankful for everyone that was there to help.
“We are thankful for our on site EMT’s, paramedics and law enforcement that work so hard to care for the cowboys.
“This is a tragic event and words cannot describe the pain felt by this loss. We ask everyone to come together and pray for his family for comfort and healing in this difficult time.”
