3 Die, 1 Shot in Rural ‘Mule Days’ Festival

Three people died and a fourth was shot during Benson’s annual Mule Days celebration, the city police chief said Monday. Chief Lindell Nordan said one man died of acute alcohol poisoning, one woman fell from a horse and another woman was struck by a motorcycle as she walked down Interstate 95.

Benson is usually a quiet, tree-lined community of 3,000, Nordan said. But during Mule Days, the population swells to tens of thousands, many toasting the lowly mule with alcoholic beverages.