A 15-foot (4.6-meter) snake looking to devour its already-unconscious owner was served cold steel after officers had to make an in-the-moment decision at the scene in Fogelsville, some 45 miles (72.4 kilometers) north of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The events were fleshed out in a departmental release.
“When patrol officers arrived on the scene, they observed a 28-year-old male who was unresponsive and lying on the floor of the home with the mid portion of a large snake wrapped around the male's neck,” read the report.
Police detailed that, “due to the massive size of the reptile,” a responding officer was able to neutralize the snake via a headshot that did not present further injury to the unconscious owner.
“Once the snake was injured from the gunshot, the officers were able to pull the male to safety,” it read.
Lt. Peter Nickischer, with the Upper Macungie Township Police Department, said that the snake did not immediately die, but it did begin to loosen its grip after some time, allowing officers to retrieve the man from the 15-foot serpent’s grip.
“It started to slither away, luckily away from the officers, away from the direction that they were trying to pull this gentleman,” Nickischer said, as reported by ABC 6. “They realized it was a matter of life and death with seconds to make that decision. Praise the officers. They did what they had to do. It was a safe shoot.”
The snake was later identified as a pet of the Pennsylvania man, who received emergency medical care before being sent to an area hospital for further treatment.
The unnamed man’s condition has not been disclosed.