Passing the Buck: Indiana Policer Officer Gives Gun To Bystander To Shoot Deer

An Indiana police officer is under investigation in a novel controversy. Witnesses say that he gave his gun to a stranger to shoot a young deer on the side of the road because he did not have the heart to do it. It appears that the bystander may have been Associate Justice Elena Kagan or at least she claims prior experience for such a job.

After a driver struck the deer, a crowd gathered and the officer responded to the scene. A homeowner went inside to get his gun to put the deer out of his misery but returned to find a man preparing to shoot the animal. He was told that it was the officer’s weapon but that the officer said that he just couldn’t get himself to kill the animal. Witnesses said that he had tears in his eyes and handed the gun to a stranger. The stranger said that he had a gun license in another state. To make matters worse, the officer did not disperse the crowd before the shooting to protect them from mishaps with ricochets or a wounded animal.

I feel great sympathy for the officer but this was obviously a dangerous action to take.

Source: Indy Star