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Deer clings to life, takes five rounds to the head

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By TONY HOLT | Hernando Today

Published: October 28, 2009

RIDGE MANOR - The deer lay in his own blood in the middle of the highway.

The animal was mowed down by a Ford F-150 traveling along State Road 50 and McKethan Road shortly before 3 p.m. Tuesday.

A deputy arrived at the scene later and noticed its hind legs were badly damaged. Its hips appeared broken, according to a sheriff's report.

Out of mercy for the animal, Deputy Stephen Dillon pulled out his agency-issued Glock 22 pistol and fired two rounds "squarely in the head," he wrote in his report.

Then he fired one more round, then another and then another. It took five 40-caliber bullets to kill the deer, which had been clinging to life following the crash.

"Adrenaline is a funny thing," said Sgt. Donna Black, a spokeswoman with the Hernando County Sheriff's Office. "It's not as easy as you would think to kill an animal under those circumstances."

Black said deputies are not permitted to use shotguns to put down an animal because they can "control the projectile better" when using a handgun.

Dillon sought permission from his supervisor prior to discharging his weapon.

"I scanned the area for potential hazards," he wrote in the report. "Great care was taken to avoid a potential ricochet or asphalt splatter."

After that he fired his first two shots.

"To my surprise, this did not kill the deer instantly, so a third shot was fired," Dillon wrote. "I then (checked) the deer's vitals and again to my surprise, the deer began moving."

The deputy moved the deer off the road and fired two more rounds below its right ear, according to the report. Those were the fatal shots.

"It must have been distressing for him," Black said about Dillon.

The deputy left a note for the "road department" with a description of the animal and a location of where to pick it up, he said.

Black began her law enforcement career in Manatee County, where deputies are trained on how to put down a lame animal involved in a traffic accident. She said deputies are taught to "draw an 'x' on the forehead" and aim, she said.

Such instances were more common in Manatee than in Hernando, Black said.

Ridge Manor is one of the most desolate areas of the county, but she was not aware of a deputy putting down a wounded deer at any time during the past few years.

"It's part of living in a rural community," Black said.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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