Morro Bay Shark Attack Kills Surfer; Officials Say It's the First Fatal Shark Attack in San Luis Obispo County in 18 Years

Friends and family members identified the victim of the Morro Bay shark attack on Christmas Eve as a resident of Sacramento who loved the ocean.

According to San Luis Obispo Tribune, Tomas Butterfield will be remembered by his relatives as an individual who died in a place he loved.

'We've Lost Tom': Morro Bay Shark Attack Devastates Family, Friends of Victim

Family and friends of the 42-year-old Sacramento man shared that he loved to do fishing and boogie-boarding. According to Los Angeles Times, friends and family confirmed Tomas Butterfield was the victim of the shark attack in Morro Bay.

Officials said Butterfield was riding a bodyboard in the water near The Pit area of Morro Strand State Beach, north of Morro Rock, at around 10:40 a.m. Friday, when a great white shark suddenly attacked him.

Officials considered the latest shark attack as the first fatal shark attack in San Luis Obispo County in 18 years.

Morro Bay Shark Attack Alerts Officials, Alarms Surfers

The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff-Coroner is conducting an autopsy on the victim's body. But it has yet to publicly release the victim's name and initially released a few details about the incident.

After The Tribune published the story, the California State Parks then confirmed the identity of the shark attack victim. Public information officer Jorge Moreno said the victim was Butterfield from Sacramento.

Grant Butterfield, Tomas' uncle, told The Tribune that he learned the news through the victim's father, his brother Scott, about what happened on the day of the incident.

Grant said his nephew was living in the city's downtown area and had been working for his father there. Tomas was just visiting his mother, Maria, who lived in Morro Bay around Christmas when he went out boogie-boarding alone on the morning of Christmas Eve.

Grant added that he was expecting a Christmas greeting when he saw his brother's name on his phone screen, but it was the opposite. Grant said that it was not specifically confirmed what happened to Tomas in his final moments in the water.

He said that Tomas' brother, Ben, with their mother, Maria, went to the beach looking for Tomas. However, they ended up going to The Pit and saw all of the emergency people who were checking the shark attack victim.

Morro Bay Harbor director Eric Endersby said a woman surfing saw Butterfield's empty boogie board and found him face down in the water. The woman brought him to the beach, and Morro Bay Harbor Patrol responded to the incident alongside the city's police and fire departments.

Despite the quick response from the city officials, Endersby noted that Butterfield was already dead by the time medical personnel reached him. The director added that the woman who found Butterfield did not see the shark attack, and no one has yet to come forward to say they witnessed the encounter.

Endersby said the Harbor Patrol closed the waters within their jurisdiction for 24 hours and placed a sign warning beachgoers of entering the water at their own risk. He noted that it would remain in place through the New Year's holiday.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Family Identifies Man Killed In Morro Bay Shark Attack As Sacramento Resident - From CBS Sacramento