Fort Lauderdale police search for child seen stomping, killing duck; $5,000 reward offered

Fort Lauderdale police are searching for a young boy seen on video killing a duck in a resident's yard this week, an incident investigators are treating as an animal cruelty case.

Neighbors say the area is usually filled with ducks, but the neighborhood has grown noticeably quieter since the attack.

Video shows violent incident

Police released surveillance video showing two children running toward a duck in the 300 block of Southwest 8th Avenue on Sunday. One child chases the duck, catches it, and stomps on it repeatedly. CBS News Miami counted seven stomps in the footage.

Detectives are asking for the public's help in identifying the child. A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to an arrest.

Neighbor reacts to disturbing footage

A man who lives nearby said he had not seen the video before and was horrified by what it showed.

"I think the kid maybe has been abused or something. Because of that, they need to look into who the parents are," said Jett, who lives in the area. "I think that's the most important thing because, I don't know, I think maybe he has seen something that has caused a lot of trauma for him to be capable of doing something like that, that's, I have no words. I don't even know what to say. That's terrible."

How to report information

Anyone who recognizes the child or the child's family is asked to contact the Fort Lauderdale Police Department's Animal Cruelty Unit or Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493‑TIPS. Tipsters can remain anonymous.