Oklahoma teen finds 14-foot python in family's yard

CEMENT, Okla. – A teenager in rural Oklahoma made a startling discovery when his barking dog alerted him to an enormous python in his front yard.

Fifteen-year-old JC Lara says he thought he was dreaming when he saw the 14-foot python hissing at his dog outside their home last week in Cement (see-MENT'), about 60 miles southwest of Oklahoma City. The teen woke his father, Carmelo Lara, who says he grabbed a shovel because he thought it was a small snake.

Once he saw the python, Carmelo Lara got his gun and shot the snake three times, killing it. Carmelo Lara tells Lawton television station KSWO (http://bit.ly/1PyW3dj ) that he was terrified at first but did what he had to do to protect his family.