Hawk swoops down, bloodies Keller council candidate during weekend block walk

A North Texas city council hopeful walked away bloodied over the weekend after a red‑shouldered hawk struck him while he was block‑walking in Keller ahead of the June 13 runoff.

"Got a little too close to the local wildlife while knocking on doors in Keller this weekend," said Russ Medeiros, who is running for the Place 4 spot on the city's council.

Medeiros, who is squaring off against Jarrett "Doc" Armstrong in the Keller runoff, posted a photo on social media showing the marks and blood left behind by the hawk.

"We had an awesome weekend out on the campaign trail, meeting so many great neighbors who are fired up for this runoff," Medeiros said. "Then things got a little more eventful than expected…

"Mid-walk, something nailed me in the back of the head. I turned around expecting a branch or maybe a kid with a ball… nope. Looked up and saw a red-shouldered hawk circling above me."

He said he "had to laugh" as blood ran down the back of his neck.

"I've bled for this country alongside other veterans – just didn't expect to do it again while block walking in Keller," Medeiros said.

The runoff will determine who replaces Tag Green, the former Place 4 council member who resigned to run for mayor, and who will serve the remainder of the term through 2028.