Florida Teens Allegedly Killed Peacocks With Pellet Guns, Animal Cruelty Investigation Underway

An animal cruelty investigation was underway after residents of Florida’s Boyette Springs neighborhood filed a report stating some teens killed wild peacocks using pellet guns.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said the residents of the neighborhood filed a complaint Friday reporting the death of neighborhood peacocks. The peacocks were found dead with pellet wounds Wednesday. The residents believe the birds were shot dead by four teens.

“A witness reported seeing a black Ford F-150 filled with four white male teenagers with pellet guns in the area just prior to finding the dead birds. The truck had black rims, a busted tail light and a Costa sticker in the back window,” the sheriff's office said in a Facebook post Saturday.

Esther Kirk, a resident, said, "We found one dead peacock, initially, that was probably shot out of my tree and landed in my yard.”

"As a pack, [the peacocks] were staring at the storm drain, my neighbor and I went over and found two dead peacocks in the storm drain,” he recalled.

The residents said it was common to hear gunshots and find dead birds on the streets.

"[We saw] some teenagers in a black truck driving through the neighborhood, two in the back, two in the front and they have guns with them," another resident Karen Coggins said.

Coggins added that peacocks roamed around freely in the neighborhood. “People will stop and take pictures because it’s a rarity, you don’t see this kind of thing going on anywhere else,” he said, Fox 13 reported.

Residents were worried that the killing spree could have serious consequences.

“My biggest concern is the children in the neighborhood. If one of those bullets goes and gets them, it just — it would be heartbreaking,” said a resident, Amy Johansen, NBC-affiliated television station WFLA reported.

Kirk said, "People walk their dogs, walk their little children around here. A ricochet bullet could hit a dog, could hit a child.”

The sheriff's office was investigating the incident and asked those with information in reference to this incident to call the office or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477) "to be eligible for a reward.”