Officers arrested in shooting of beloved elk in Boulder, Colo.

Boulder police officer Sam Carter poses with the elk he claims he "humanely euthanized." / KCNC

BOULDER Two officers who are alleged to have killed a non-threatening elk while on duty have been arrested.

Boulder District Attorney Stan Garnett said Friday that officers Sam Carter and Brent Curnow were arrested on Friday and face multiple charges, including unlawful killing of elk, killing an elk out of season and conspiracy, CBS station KCNC in Boulder, Colo. reported.

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Vigil held for Colo. elk shot by police officer

Reports say that the elk was shot by on-duty Boulder police officer Carter, who then posed with the animal's carcass shortly after the incident. Carter claimed that he "humanely euthanized" the elk because it was limping. Curnow then loaded the animal onto a vehicle and proceeded to process the elk for meet.

Boulder police chief Mark Beckner previously said the incident was against protocol, and neither police officer reported the elk's death until residents began to ask what had happened. Both officers have been suspended with pay and were undergoing a personel review for the shooting and not reporting they had fired their weapons.

Residents claim, however, that the animal was harmless. They said the elk seemed healthy before the incident.

A vigil was held for the elk, which had been called Big Boy, George and Elmo by the neighborhood. Some even said they considered the animal to be a "guardian" of the community.

"I don't see a whole lot of difference between the shooting of this defenseless elk and the shooting of school children in Connecticut," one vigil attendee told KCNC.

• Vigil held for Colo. elk shot by police officer

Garnett said public outrage had nothing to do with the decision by his office to file charges.

[Lindag20]

If these Nimrods want to hunt elk (which is mighty tasty meat) then they need to do so legally in season with a hunting license with elk tag. Being cops doesn't make them "special" and not have to obey the law.

[vaoldman2]

They are cops, they don't have to obey the law. The local DA will take them to court and they will get a slap on their hands. not the full extent of the law.

[24zen]

These two must be terminated! To allow these criminals to keep their jobs would be just another crime! Throw the book at them!!!

[belair56]

They got what they deserved.................

[dkvideo]

Kiled for it's "meet". Really?

[journalismisdying]

If the local reidents were okay with having this huge animal wandering around their neighborhood they should realize that he could be a hazard to drivers at night and that an animal that size eats alot ( who would be responsible for feeding him ? ) , mind you I am not advocating the killing of animals , it is just that relocation rarely works and no one can really adequately care for such a large wild animal outside of a zoo . Who would be responsible for him ?

[artcolorado]

What part of breaking the law don't we understand?

[journalismisdying]

The sad fact is that we have many more wild animals in this country than we have wild terrain . That may not have anything to do with the motivation for killing this animal but as uneasy as it makes some people we should be grateful that there are hunters willing to do this ( I know I wouldn't want to kill an elk ) . Hunting and trapping of deer, beavers , rabbit , raccoon , possum , and other animals goes down every year and the numbers of these animals keeps climbing .

[hockeybub]

There is nothing wrong with hunting and harvesting wildlife is an important component of wildlife management and conservation. Populations were once controlled naturally through predation and through sustenance harvesting. That is not happening anymore. But it should be remembered that the elk depicted in this story was clearly valued by the community. These so-called police officers did nothing to explain their actions prior to killing the animal and then attempted to cover themselves afterward. Not really the actions of those who really believed they were doing the right thing. At the very least they should have advised their superiors of their intentions and after killing the animal. Practicality demands that the meat not be wasted, but those individuals should NOT have been allowed to take it. If approved, it should be given to a food bank (as long as the people know where it came from - they might not want to accept it.)

[qyeteye]

Yes - if everyone had this attitude,
to kill benign wild animals who provide pleasure of trust and sight
Then we would all be considered worthy to be called a "state"

a-holes...

[RetiredArmy_Nurse]

This tragic story does seem to be making most of the internet news, although I have not heard it on any major TV network yet. Hopefully, the outcry against these two poor examples of the police department will force their employers to do the right thing and terminate them. That may be something they have to do with them once found guilty and facing deserved jail time.

[st247]

I've been following this since the beginning. You can follow it more closely on Boulder's newspaper site - dailycamera.com. The original story wasn't picked up on cbsnews.com until several days after the New Year's Day shooting.
Missing from this story is that there are nine charges against the officers (I use the term loosely, "dirtballs" seems more appropriate) three of which are felonies, and that there is evidence that they conspired to kill the elk at least a day before (cell phone texts); in other words, this wasn't happenstance. They are now on UNpaid admin leave (was paid leave before), face loss of police certification, termination, and prison time.

[hockeybub]

Couple more of those "mighty hunters"...right up there with the bear baiters and losers who put out salt licks and sit in blinds, well stocked with bullets and booze. Law enforcement officers? Anything but! You know, it's said that anyone who would kill or inflict pain on a defenseless animal is one more likely to take it to the next level...like a kid who tortures a family pet. If these jackasses can't show respect to an animal that they KNOW is treasured by the community, how can they be trusted to show respect for the law and those they are sworn to protect.

Fire their ***** and, based on their use of state-supplied weapons, ban them from owning a firearm for at least 10 years...give them time to grow up and get over their Little Dick syndrome.

[Jim1900]

It sounds like a political correctness battle to me. Colorado will have to decide if they want to be an animal sanctuary or a state.

[hockeybub]

It's got nothing to do with political correctness...it's got everything to do with adhereing to the law and showing respect for the community. This incident has shown the true character...or rather lack thereof...of these two individuals Can't call them men...they don't fit the criteria. That laws were broken is one thing. That these losers totally disrespected their community is another. What is worse that they were employed as law enforcement officers. They are held to a higher standard...they have shown they are not worthy of the position given them.

[lovelygal900]

To compare killing a animal to the killing of children was a stupid thing to say.

[angelofurnightmare]

I hate that the elk was killed...the officers should be fired but it is nothing like murdering children