Tiburon Man Who Killed Deer With Pellet Gun Accused Of Animal Cruelty

TIBURON (KPIX 5) -- A North Bay man is facing charges of animal cruelty.

He's accused of shooting and killing two deer and the reason why he's was arrested may surprise you.

Lisa Bloch with the Marin Humane Society said, "We were pretty shocked and disturbed."

The Marin Humane Society says they were horrified when they responded to the call of two deer -- a doe and a her fawn -- shot dead.

"To kill two innocent animals like this and make them suffer is really egregious and we're pretty concerned," Bloch said.

A neighbor heard the shots and called police.

They found the doe dead. The fawn died about an hour later.

The homeowner, Mark Dickinson was arrested for animal cruelty.

Police say Dickinson admitted to shooting the mother and baby after catching them eating his landscaping.

Neighbor Jim Wickett said, "No one has ever done that before...In my opinion, inappropriate, and as TPD has determined, illegal."

Police say Dickinson used a pellet gun, but that along with how many times he shot the animals, is still under investigation.

Marin Humane Society says there is one thing for certain, the animals suffered and shouldn't have come to any harm in the first place.

"This person was frustrated by them eating his vegetation and that was their only crime…they died a slow death and it is heartbreaking," Bloch said.

Dickinson's lawyer said, "My client did not intend to harm the animals. The public outrage to these allegations is driven by the inflammatory claims of the Tiburon Police Department which haven't been proven in court."