NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (April 27, 2026) — When New Rochelle police officers shot a raccoon multiple times in the Davenport neighborhood recently, at least one witness was left with questions. The department’s answers reveal more about police wildlife protocol than many residents may expect.
A witness who photographed the incident contacted a reporter with several concerns: Why multiple shots? Why in public? Why not a clean shot to the head, especially with the animal restrained on a snare pole?
The NRPD addressed each question directly.
“When it is determined the animal is sick and a hazard to people, we use a .22 rifle to euthanize the animal,” the department said, adding that protocol was followed.
The question of why officers avoided a headshot has a practical answer rooted in public health.
“The procedure says headshots are to be avoided,” the department said. “This stems from the fact that if someone was bit by a rabid animal, the brain from that animal needs to be preserved for testing.”
Most state wildlife/public health guidelines do require brain tissue to be submitted for rabies testing, and the brain must be intact for the fluorescent antibody test used to detect the virus. A shot to the head would compromise or destroy the sample.
CDC: To rule out rabies, testing requires a full cross-section of tissue from both the brain stem and cerebellum. If the suspect animal is alive, it should be humanely euthanized without damaging the head, and brain tissue that is damaged may not be accepted by the laboratory. Animal control officers submit only the animal’s intact head or brain, including the brainstem, to preserve anatomical features for examination.
On conducting the shooting in public view, the department said location and control are the determining factors.
“So long as the euthanizing is controlled, it can be done in public view,” the NRPD said. “For instance, we could not shoot it out of a tree or off a roof, but if we are shooting directly toward the ground, it may be done in public view.”
This article was prepared with the assistance of AI tools under the direction and editing of Robert Cox.
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