Trying to kill injured deer, deputy shoots it 17 times
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 1:28 p.m.
An Alachua County sheriff’s deputy who wanted to put a deer that had been hit by a car out of its misery Wednesday morning fired 17 shots into its stomach before the animal finally died, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
As a result of the incident, patrol staff now will receive training on how to quickly kill an animal that is critically injured, Lt. Steve Maynard said.
“The deputy didn’t know where to shoot it. He calls the sergeant, and the sergeant says to shoot it right behind the shoulder, which is the location of the heart,” Maynard said. Instead, the deputy shot the deer in the stomach.
The deer eventually died, Maynard said, adding that the deputy was “horrified” by the incident.
Maynard said the incident began after a call came in shortly after 7 a.m. regarding a deer that had been hit by a car along Tower Road near the Alachua County Library. The deputy was sent there and found that the deer had been hit at least twice but was still alive.
Under Sheriff’s Office policies, deputies are allowed to kill injured animals if it is determined they wouldn’t survive. That determination is usually made by the Sheriff’s Office because Alachua County Animal Services does not respond to wild animal calls, Maynard said. He added that private veterinarians typically won’t respond, either.
Policies state that the deputy must get permission from a supervisor, which did happen. Maynard said no policies were broken and that no disciplinary action will be taken against the deputy.
A passerby who saw the incident called Sheriff Sadie Darnell about it, Maynard added.
“If anything, it’s a failure on our part to properly train our people. He’s very upset about it, and we asked for a victim advocate to talk to him,” Maynard said. “The sheriff said we are going to get some education on patrol on how to properly dispatch an animal.”
Contact Cindy Swirko at 374-5024 or swirkoc@gvillesun.com.
