Oconomowoc police shoot sandhill crane; bodycam video released

Bodycam: Police shoot sandhill crane

Oconomowoc police released body camera footage of an officer killing what some described as a "nuisance" Sandhill crane.

OCONOMOWOC, Wis. - Oconomowoc police released body camera footage of an officer killing what some described as a "nuisance" Sandhill crane.  

"Nuisance" Sandhill crane

What we know:

On April 28, an officer was sent to 2nd and Maple to kill what neighbors called a "nuisance" Sandhill crane. 

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One homeowner had so much damage to his truck, he obtained a permit to shoot and kill the federally-protected bird. 

"They had broken some windows in a house down a little ways," said one homeowner. 

Two shots were fired. According to the police report, the officer fired the second shot to "humanely end any prolonged suffering."

Bodycam video released

What they're saying:

Kim Banach is the executive director of the Wildlife in Need Center. She struggled watching the Oconomowoc police body camera footage. 

"We are the community’s resource for any type of injured, orphaned wildlife or even wildlife nuisance issues like this," Banach said. 

Kim Banach

Banach said no one reached out to the center for help beforehand. She would have offered tips on how to get the crane to leave people alone. 

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"Where it was pecking at cars, you can put out mirrors in the area it was doing it – away from the cars – that’s going to encourage the sandhill crane to go peck at those mirrors and not the cars," Banach said. 

Officer's notes

Dig deeper:

The officer noted in his report he "conducted a full safety assessment of the area and determined it was safe to discharge a firearm." 

Neighbors told FOX6 News two weeks ago, the gunfire startled them. Two homeowners said they would have like a warning. 

"As a human being, as a mother, as a grandmother – I would not want something like this done with houses behind. I would want to try and lure the bird away," Banach said. 

Kim Banach

Neighbors said someone was also feeding the crane. Experts tell us removing a food source could have helped move the bird along.

FOX6 News reached out to Oconomowoc police for further comment. We will update this post if we hear back.