A young man has died in Pennsylvania, US, after being choked by his own snake. As several US media reports, the 27-year-old died on Sunday morning at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Cedar Crest as a result of brain damage.

The death drama began Wednesday when police were called to his home in Lehigh County just after 2 p.m. There the man, who could no longer be spoken to, lay on the floor. A large boa constrictor had already wrapped itself around his neck.

Due to the reptile’s enormous size, which is estimated to have been more than five meters long, the officers decided to shoot the snake in the head to free the man from its clutches. “After the snake was injured by the shot, the officers were able to take the man to safety,” a police spokesman is quoted as saying on the NBC10 television website. The man received medical treatment at the scene and was then taken to a hospital.

But he never regained consciousness there. The man succumbed to his injuries on Sunday. As a medical examiner told the Associated Press news agency, the snake caused a so-called anoxic brain injury, i.e. a complete lack of oxygen in the brain. It is unclear how the accident could have happened.

When officers searched the home, at least two other snakes were found, according to NBC10. There were other animals in the house too. According to family members, the man was known for rescuing abused or abandoned animals.

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Sources: NBC 10, Associated Press