The horse was malnourished and injured and the deputy did not believe the horse would live much longer on its own.
PHOENIX (AP) - A sheriff's deputy says he felt obligated to fatally shoot a stallion in the Tonto National Forest because it was malnourished and injured.
Maricopa County Deputy Clint Bradshaw wrote in a report that he didn't believe the horse would survive much longer on its own.
Handwritten notes on the deputy's report obtained by the Arizona Republic indicate the April 21 shooting didn't violate department policy.
Bradshaw twice shot the horse in the head with his department-issued rifle.
He had responded to a report of an injured horse while on patrol in the Lower Salt River area.
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