South Dakota official ‘shocked’ to learn ‘deer’ he reported dead in crash was a person

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg told authoritieshe thought he hit a deer with his car over the weekend, but it turns out he actually struck and killed a man, officials said.

Gov. Kristi Noem said during a Sunday news conference that Ravnsborg was in a fatal car crash, the Argus Leader reported.

Joseph Boever, 55, of Highmore died after being hit by Ravnsborg’s Ford Taurus on Saturday night, the South Dakota Highway Patrol told the publication. His body was found the next day.

Ravnsborg said in a statement that he was “shocked and filled with sorrow” over Boever’s death, the Associated Press reported.

Ravnsborg, who was reportedly driving back from a Republican fundraiser, hadn’t been drinking alcohol that night, his office said, according to the AP.

Ravnsborg called 911 after the crash and told the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office that he hit a deer, the Department of Public Safety said, according to Mitchell Republic.

Victor Nemec said he couldn’t find Boever, his cousin, on Sunday, the Argus Leader reported. He called 911, and hours later, Nemec and his brother identified Boever’s body at a local funeral home, according to the publication.

“I don’t know if Cousin Joe was laying on the highway for 22 hours or if they had bagged him up before that,” Nemec said, according to the AP.

Ravnsborg was uninjured in the crash, spokesman Tim Bormann told the Rapid City Journal.