Did an out-of-line cop needlessly shoot an injured fawn along the side of the road, or was he simply doing his job?
The Incident
A narrative posted on Facebook claims that the incident occurred on September 9, 2013 in Chelsea, Quebec. The driver came onto a scene of a fawn which had recently been struck by a car, followed soon after by “Officer Roy” who quickly determined he needed to put the deer out of its misery.
The writer states that they had contacted a local vet who would assess the injuries of the deer, but the officer declined to wait, and proceeded to shoot the deer. It is claimed that the driver’s wife Samantha hesitated when asked to move away from the deer, the officer threatened to arrest her.
After the writer left the scene, the officer followed and impounded his vehicle for expired plates. The writer summarizes, “I couldn’t help but feel that Officer Roy was punishing my little family for standing up to him over the life of a hurt little deer. ”
Reaction
The Facebook photo and accompanying story have amassed over 10,000 shares since it was posted on September 9. The Change.org petition reached 3,000 signatures. Comments on the story are heated and divided. While some agree with the narrative’s tone regarding an out-of-line officer with a quick trigger finger, others have defended the decision, noting that a deer with two broken legs is often difficult to rehabilitate.
Response
According to Metro News, a force spokesman responded to the incident:
In an interview with the Low Down to Hull and Back, the force’s spokesman Martin Fournel said the officer couldn’t legally allow Searle and Biron to drive off with the animal. Fournel told the paper police are empowered to end an animal’s suffering and the constable made a judgment call. Fournel also told the Low Down the impounding of Searles vehicle was simply the officer doing his job.
Petition
A Change.org petition has been established in the wake of this incident. The petition states:
Recent actions by a SQ officer in the MRC des Collines-de-l’Outaouais to euthanize an injured fawn by gunshot and threaten the arrest of citizens who were first on the scene attempting to find veterinary care of the animal illustrates a deficit in your police force’s training. This petition calls for 1. Improvements to the Quebec police’s protocol for handling injured wildlife. In cases where it’s not absolutely clear that the animal is dying, police should defer judgement to a trained wildlife or veterinary professional. 2. Training to be provided to police officers to have them assist, rather than threaten, local citizens who may be attempting to help an injured animal and/or find it veterinarian care.
Bottom Line
We have likely not heard the last of this story, nor have we heard the officer’s account of what happened that day. Do you think the officer was out of line, or did the writer interfere with an officer simply following the law?
Sources
Did this deer have to die? Quebec man says no, cops say yes (Steve Collins, Metro News: September 13, 2013)
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
Tumblr
RSS