CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — An 87-year-old man from Robstown died after he was attacked by a swarm of bees while he was doing yard work outside on Wednesday, according to Robstown Police Chief Mike Tamez.
"He was actually cutting a neighbor's yard, helping a neighbor out," Tamez said.
Family members identified him to 3NEWS as Jose Santos-Ortiz.
When first responders were called out to the scene along West Avenue E, Ortiz was found unresponsive.
He was taken to Northwest Hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to police officials.
The hive which contained hundreds of bees was found hidden in the eaves of a home on the 500 block of West Avenue E.
"He's an 87-year-old male, and even for someone way younger than that it's a difficult thing, with that many bee stings, we don't have a count yet, but what I understand he was covered in bees," said Tamez.
The police chief said the bees were so aggressive that firefighters working the scene had to take action to protect neighbors who were returning home.
"He [a firefighter] soaked the ladies vehicle and pushed all the bees off of her so he could get her inside," Tamez said.
Residents along the street were left in disbelief after learning the news that the man did not survive.
"I was inside when everything was happening. A friend of mine told me not to go by. I give my prayers to the family," said one woman who did not want to be identified.
Tamez said emergency crews were on the scene within minutes of the call.
"Next door his cap and set of gloves were there as well," he said. "I rolled up 10 minutes after the call, there were still bees swarming his cap and he was down the street where he ran to to try and get help."
First responders were back on the scene Thursday night. Crews barricaded the street to keep unwanted traffic from going by as crews dressed from head to toe in protective gear to remove the hive.
A warning blasted through a loud speaker telling neighbors to stay inside as emergency crews did their job.
Investigators are waiting for results to find out the type of bees that attacked and whether they were in fact Africanized bees.
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