A farmer near Portland, Oregon is livid after Washington County sheriff”s deputies shot and killed his $1,200 breeding male goat, all in the name of self-defense.
According to Fox 12 Oregon, Matt Minnick said he felt partly responsible for the Volt the goat escaping along with other goats and sheep, but said the rare breed from New Zealand is known for a calm temperament and is used to being around children.
The Washington County Deputy Report states that the officers had corralled the goat in the field, but the deputy felt threatened by the goat’s size and horns. The deputy also feared for the safety of nearby neighbors in the new housing development.
The goat put his head down and approached me with his horns pointed towards my pelvic area. I grabbed a hold of one side of the horns and pushed him away from me. I could feel the strength of the goat as he brushed me off and came at me again. It appeared as though my pushing the goat away was making him more and more angry as he kept coming at me. I managed to push him away a couple more times by the horns, but this seemed to be making him more aggressive. I managed to get about 5 feet away from him and I could see that there was nothing behind him.
I yelled to Deputy Auth that if he came at me again I was going to shoot him. The goat lowered his head and approached me yet again. I pulled my pistol out of the holster and fired one shot into the back his head near the base of his neck. This immediately caused the goat to stop and briefly fall to the ground.
I could tell that he was struggling to get back up and appeared to be suffering. I shot him again in the side of the head, just below the eye. This caused more
screaming and struggling, but did not kill him. I shot him again once more just above the shoulder, attempting to end his suffering, but my handgun rounds appeared to be ineffective on the large animal.
Sgt. Bennett requested a Deputy with a rifle respond to our location to put the goat down. Deputy Hartle later responded.
Minnick plans to make a claim with the county for damages.
