Video shows deputy fatally shooting groundhog in Carroll County

A deputy was captured on video shooting and killing a groundhog that was impeding traffic in Carroll County over the weekend.

The shooting took place Sunday at around 4 p.m. on Liberty Road (Route 26) at White Rock Road.

The Carroll County Sheriff's Office said the deputy was traveling in the area when he noticed traffic backed up on Liberty Road due to the groundhog walking into the roadway and causing drivers to stop.

A nearly two-minute video posted on Facebook shows the deputy approaching and stepping towards the groundhog on the shoulder of the road. Eventually, the deputy moves to the other side of the roadway where the groundhog eventually runs toward the deputy. The deputy gets onto one knee and shoots the groundhog.

The animal is still seen moving after the first shot, but the deputy walks behind the groundhog and shoots it again.

"He got out of his vehicle to assess, and as he tried to direct the groundhog off of the roadway, he realized that it was not responding as expected for an animal that was not being cornered or trapped," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "Believing the groundhog to be either sick or injured, the deputy then put the animal down for the public's safety."

The sheriff's office is investigating the incident.

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