Washoe County Sheriff's Deputies are seeking help with the investigation into the shooting of a pure-bred black Angus bull in a pasture of the Smith Ranch on Eastlake Boulevard in Washoe Valley.
Sheriff's Sgt. Sylvia Redmond said deputies will look for fingerprints on shell casings found at the scene.
Owner Julian Smith said his wife, Joanna, heard the shot at 5:35 a.m.
"My wife heard a gun shot or back fire and looked at the clock at about 5:35 a.m. then heard a car revving up like it was speeding away," he said. "We have roads on three sides of us and we hear things all the time. We didn't go out and look."
The man who does irrigation for the ranch arrived at 6 a.m. and noticed the bull was dead. One of Smith's friends also noticed the bull dead at about 6:30 a.m. and called Smith.
"I went out to bury him but I didn't really make the connection," Smith said. "But I saw there was a hole in his neck. I called the sheriff and the brand inspector. I tried to find the slug in his neck, but couldn't find it.
"He didn't go very far when they hit him. He went about two steps and he went down." Smith said the bull weighed about 2,000 pounds.
Smith said he bought the bull about five years ago for $1,500 from a ranch in Star Valley near Elko.
Deputies have no suspects in the shooting.
The person responsible for the death of the bull could be charged with felony grand larceny, because of the value of the bull, Redmond said.
Deputies are asking anyone with information in the shooting to call the front desk of the Sheriff's Department at 328-3001 and leave their name, number and any information.