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The Texas town of Hollywood Park is currently without a mayor after the one they had, William Bohlke, died in a freak donkey accident on his ranch Monday.

Atascosa County officials found Bohlke’s body around 10 p.m., at least 10 hours after the donkey attacked him, the San Antonio Express-News reports. Following an investigation of the scene, details remain somewhat scarce. The mayor of the town 15 miles north of San Antonio was working on his ranch at the time of the attack.

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“We’ll probably never know what triggered it, but it was evident that this particular donkey was involved, based on the evidence at the scene and what we saw on this donkey,” Atascosa County Chief Deputy David Soward told the Express-News. He added that male donkeys can get mean and aggressive, sometimes influenced by a female in heat. The 500-pound donkey likely kicked and trampled Bohlke to death between 11 a.m. and noon near his truck. The donkey is reportedly still roaming the grounds of the farm, with its fate to be decided by the family, Soward said.

The mayor had taken office only recently, in May, but the Hollywood Park City Council will meet Sept. 8 to discuss appointing a replacement. In a statement published on the city’s website, Bohlke’s family said:

Bill, your mayor, dearly loved serving you, our community, and we only wish he was here to continue doing so. We are still making the necessary funeral arrangements and will advise City Hall when we have been able to do so.

A retired Air Force pilot and Vietnam War veteran, Bohlke is survived by his wife and three children.

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