Caught On Camera: Hunter Ambushes, Kills Deer With Bow And Arrow In Residential Neighborhood

MONROVIA (CBSLA.com) — A man caught on camera shooting a young buck with a bow and arrow in Monrovia has sparked outrage among residents.

A video taken Thursday afternoon shows Mike Rodriguez taking aim at a young buck. The deer runs down the street, leaving a trail of blood. Moments later, the animal died.

"I couldn't believe it. I'm like, 'You've got to be kidding me.' Somebody took a shot at a deer right in front of our house in a residential neighborhood?" neighbor Chuck Tapert said.

Rodriguez came forward to identify himself as the man in the video. He defends his actions, saying the video lacks context.

Rodriguez said he shot the deer earlier that day in deer hunting Zone D-11 above Monrovia but failed to kill the animal.

"I didn't want it to suffer any more than it had to because of my bad shot," he said. "It moved at the exact time I fired my arrow so I didn't hit in the kill zone. I hit it high in the back of the spine area."

Rodriguez said the wounded deer ran off and he was able to track it to the neighborhood in Monrovia Hills.

"I wasn't up there to shoot an animal in a residential area," Rodriguez insisted. "I was following up a wounded animal and trying to take him out so he wasn't suffering any more."

Some residents aren't believing it.

"I think he's got a little fib going here covering his tracks," resident Robyn Tapert said. "So don't come back and do that in our neighborhood because we actually care for the wildlife up here."

California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials are investigating the incident and are still trying to determine if they will seek charges against Rodriguez.