What were the beliefs of many who heard the news of Bruder's death?

News spread of the horrific incident, but some fishermen swore that it wasn't a shark that killed the man but some other sea animal like a swordfish or turtle. Many thought the shark was a timid animal and would not attack. Even the noted ichthyologist Dr. John Treadwell Nichols, who was called in to investigate the attack, after viewing Bruder's wounds, concluded that the young man's death was caused by the attack of an orca, a killer whale.