UPDATE: Victim of bull attack died on electrocuted son's birthday

KENT COUNTY, MI -- A 71-year-old man was attacked and killed by a bull Wednesday, and sheriff's deputies shot 33 rounds at the animal before it died.

Kent County sheriff's deputies were called to a Lowell Township farm in the area of Cascade Road and Morse Lake Avenue SE by a neighbor who spotted the bull running loose and the farmer on the ground about 1 p.m.

The bull was acting aggressive, so the neighbor backed away and waited for police to arrive.

Two deputies found the animal in the driveway and blocked it in with a patrol car. They weren't able to get close to the victim and decided to shoot the bull with their cruiser rifles.

The deputies fired 33 rounds, with their bullets hitting the bull each time, authorities said. The agitated animal eventually dropped to the ground.

Deputies then checked on the victim, who was lying motionless and was later pronounced dead.

Police said it appeared the farmer had attempted to corral the bull before it attacked him. The bull broke through an electric fence.

Deputies in November responded to an Algoma Township farm where a 60-year-old worker was killed by a bull. In that incident, the victim and other workers were attempting to load the bull onto a trailer when it charged the man, driving its head into his chest several times.

Angie Jackson covers crime and breaking news for MLive. Email her at ajackso3@mlive.com, and follow her on Twitter.