Every day police put on their gun hoping they will never have to be faced with using deadly force. It is no different for a United States Park Police officer. For one unidentified officer in Rock Creek Park near Washington, D.C., his fears became a reality recently. A person walking in the community garden thought he spotted a dangerous raccoon. Based on his profiling he then went to a park officer to report the incident. The officer then went to check on the situation and walked into a bizarre encounter he will never forget. In his path was a raccoon acting erratically and possibly posing a threat to public safety. The raccoon then suddenly jumped on the officer, who was forced to draw his weapon and shoot at the raccoon, however, he missed.
During the struggle, the officer was scratched and bitten and also shot himself in the foot. A second officer soon arrived on the scene and shot the raccoon dead. “I saw a dead raccoon and heard a cop warn a guy walking his dog nearby, ‘Don’t go near, that raccoon’s rabid,” a witness stated.
At least four shell casings were found at the scene of the shooting. The officer had to be airlifted to a hospital because of the severity of his injury, however, it appears to be non-life-threatening. The dead raccoon will be tested for rabies and if it was rabid the officer will have to undergo treatment.
