Officer Shoots 100-Pound Pet Pig That Grunted, Charged After Him

SLATINGTON, Pa. (AP) - A Pennsylvania police chief is defending an officer who shot a 100-pound (45.4-kilogram) pet pig that bit a woman, scared a dog and chased the officer.

Slatington police Chief David Rachman tells The (Allentown) Morning Call the pig grunted and charged at the officer July 21. Seeing the animal in distress, the officer fired a second shot to put the animal out of its misery.

Pig owner Lance Sherer is upset with the shooting and because the officer discarded the pig's carcass in the woods along the Lehigh River. Sherer, who wasn't around when the pig was shot, found the carcass the next day and brought it home for burial.

Rachman says he has "compassion" for Sherer, but also notes the pig shooting is the first for police in nearly 600 animal complaints dating to 2008.

(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)