Shark bites 14-year-old boy in the leg on North Carolina beach, police say

A 14-year-old boy is recovering after a shark bit him in the leg on a North Carolina beach, authorities said.

The attack happened around 12:30 a.m. Sunday, North Topsail Beach Police Chief William Younginer said. Beachgoers sprang into action, pulling the boy from the water and applying towels and pressure to slow the bleeding, he said.

Officers and emergency medical technicians were already on the beach responding to another call, so the response time was about two minutes, Younginer said.

A police officer applied a tourniquet and EMS stabilized the teen before he was taken to the nearest trauma center, Naval Hospital Camp Lejune, Younginer said.

Doctors were able to repair the boy's leg and he should be released soon, according to Younginer.

The police chief praised the bystanders who took immediate action.

Also Sunday, a well-known surfer and lifeguard was killed in a shark attack near the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii, emergency services said.

Tamayo Perry, 49, had been a lifeguard with Honolulu Ocean Safety since 2016. He was a local surf coach and competed in the Pipeline Master Trials for years, according to his official bio on his coaching site. Perry appeared in the 2002 film “Blue Crush,” as well as episodes of “Hawaii Five-O” and “The Bridge,” according to IMDb.

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