NEW CASTLE, Ind. – Many people are tired of Canada geese, but a New Castle man may have gone too far to get rid of one.
78-year-old Whalen Abbott is accused of shooting and killing a Canada goose with a pellet gun on May 6.
Witnesses told police that Abbott shot the goose “multiple times” while several people — including a small child — looked on. They said Abbott also picked the dead bird and threw it into the woods, where it was found by a state conservation officer.
Abbott reportedly told conservation officers that he shot the goose in self-defense after it landed on his head and chased him around a pond.
A video taken by a witness and handed over to conservation officers doesn’t match Abbott’s version of events, court documents say.
According to a report by a conservation officer, the video showed that the goose was not chasing Abbott and did not pose any kind of threat.
Abbott is charged with unlawful hunting of a migratory bird. He could spend up to two months in jail and be fined $500, if convicted.
He’s due in court July 10.
(Photo by Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images)
