TIBURON (KRON) — There is one less deer family in the North Bay after police say a man was arrested for shooting two deer to death in Tiburon.
Police arrested the suspect who claims he was only trying to scare the two animals away.
A pellet rifle was confiscated from a resident on Mar East drive in Tiburon.
Tiburon Police Chief Michael Cronin says the owner of the weapon used it to shoot wildlife on his residential property.
“We dispatched officers, and upon arrival, we met a resident who shot two deer with a pellet rifle,” Chief Michael Cronin said.
It happened around 5 a.m. Saturday morning.
“We get a call from a neighbor that there was somebody in the street in front of their house, quote, ‘sneaking around with a flashlight,’ Cronin said.
Investigators say the person with the flashlight was using it to target the two deer, which police say likely did not pose a threat to the man holding the air rifle.
“It is hard to imagine how a small fawn and a doe posed a threat,” Cronin said. “I do not believe that was the case.”
This is a case of the fawn and doe being attracted to the new foliage on the homeowner’s property and making a meal out it
“Well, they were eating his plants,” Cronin said. “It’s been going on for a long time, and he was tired of it as most people are. It’s a common complaint but it’s an inappropriate remedy. Pellet guns today produce velocity of 1,100 to 1,200 feet per second, which are significant and cause very serious injury. It was proven in this case. One of the pellets resulted in the deer dying.”
The homeowner was arrested for felony cruelty to animals.
Police say he has no prior criminal history.
WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON: