New York – A NYPD raccoon shooting at Rockaway Beach is under internal review after an officer fired on a Queens boardwalk during a 911 call reporting a “vicious animal,” according to police. The officer has been placed on modified duty while the department reviews the incident.
Police said the shooting occurred Thursday morning at Rockaway Beach after someone called 911 to report a vicious animal. An NYPD spokesperson said officers were attempting to usher the raccoon toward a safe location when it “suddenly charged” toward a group of people in an aggressive manner, and an officer fired.
NYPD officials said the officer involved has been placed on modified duty while the matter is reviewed. The department’s Force Investigation Division, which reviews incidents when an officer discharges a weapon, is leading the probe, and the officer’s name has not been released.
There is also a dispute about what was unfolding at the moment shots were fired. The Associated Press reported that bodycam footage published by the Daily News shows no group of people visible when the raccoon walks onto the sand near the boardwalk and is shot, then limps away before two additional shots are fired.
It remains unclear whether the raccoon will be tested for rabies or what, if any, findings will be made public about the animal’s condition. Investigators also have not publicly reconciled the NYPD account of a raccoon charging toward a group with what appears to be described in the bodycam clip.
