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Deputy kills loose pig; sheriff releases video
The Door County Sheriff's Office released video related to the Sept. 20 shooting of a pig that had been on the loose for days.
DOOR COUNTY, Wis. - The Door County Sheriff's Office released video related to the Sept. 20 shooting of a pig that had been on the loose for days.
The sheriff's office said the pig had been in the area of State Highways 42/57 and County Highway MM. It had evaded capture for two days.
Saving Snouts, a nonprofit animal advocacy group based in Kaukauna, shared video with FOX6 News last week that showed a deputy aiming a gun at the pig. A gunshot could be heard after the person filming moved the camera away.
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Body-worn camera video, which the sheriff's office released on Wednesday, showed a deputy speaking with a Saving Snouts volunteer about how to safely, if possible, capture the pig. The deputy made it clear that the animal may need to be killed based on the circumstances.
Sheriff's office video showed deputies pull up alongside the pig, which was in the grass next to the road at the time. The deputy got out of the squad and fired two shots, and could be heard saying he had to shoot the pig because it was near the highway and in the road when they arrived.
Saving Snouts' director, TJ Dercks, said they had been trying to help the sheriff's office and had a trailer on the way when the pig was shot. Deputies helped the volunteer remove the pig, and the group took custody of the animal to bury it on their land.
Loose pig wanted in Door County (Courtesy: DCSO)
WATCH VIDEOS of the incident on the Door County Sheriff's Office YouTube channel
Statement from Door County Sheriff Tammy Sternard:
I understand some may disagree with the actions taken. I will reiterate what I stated earlier. Law enforcement's responsibility first and foremost is public safety. Various factors came into play in Deputy Daoust’s decision-making regarding the handling of this incident. Some of the factors were the proximity to the highway, time of day, the number of times it previously entered into the path of traffic on both of our highways and the previous unsuccessful attempts of multiple individuals to secure it. Based on the potential dangerousness a large, loose pig posed to motorists traveling on our roadways the actions of Deputy Daoust were within policy and justified based on the totality of the situation.
I have spoken to numerous community members over the last few days. Regardless of which side of the issue they may be on many have expressed they hope to move forward and put the incident behind our community. Due [to] the large number of threats to Sheriff’s Office Staff and their family’s safety I have turned off comments on this release. This type of behavior is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated. This is the final statement I plan on putting out relating to this incident.