Vigil Held For Elk Killed By Cop In Boulder, Colorado

Boulder, CO — A vigil was held for an elk killed by a cop in Boulder last week. The vigil was held on Mapleton Hill on Sunday evening, where neighborhood residents mourned the loss of the majestic animal.

The elk was shot fatally by an on-duty police officer and a second off-duty officer is suspected of helping to load the animal into a pickup truck, taking it away to be processed for meat.

The Daily Camera reports that Nancy Platt, of Boulder, stated of the bull elk:

“He was a beautiful animal. He was hurting nobody. He didn’t deserve what he got.”

The Boulder cop accused of shooting the elk has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the matter. The off-duty officer was also placed on leave.

Jim Riemersma organized the vigil for the elk killed last week to give his neighborhood the opportunity to grieve for their beloved animal, celebrate his life and, hopefully, find “a little bit of closure.” Riemersma stated:

“I know a lot of us have had a lot of anger, a lot of questions, a lot of uncertainty. Tonight’s a celebration, a celebration of the elk. We loved him. But I think he loved us, too, because he returned to this neighborhood.”

CBS Local notes that several neighbors are outraged at the cops who killed the elk, Sam Carter and Brent Curnow. They believe that there was no reason to kill the elk and think that anti-poaching laws should be applied to the case. Resident Marcus O’Bryon spoke at the elk’s vigil, saying:

“I cried; outraged; I lost a very dear friend. I know that’s hard for some people to believe, but he was an incredible, magnificent creature.”

Carter, who delivered the fatal blow with a single bullet, killed the elk on Tuesday because he felt the animal needed to be “humanely euthanized” because it was injured. Neither officer reported the shooting until neighbors began to ask questions.

Carter posed for a photo with the elk, then Curnow “took the elk in his own vehicle to process the meat for personal use.” Residents contend that the elk was not injured in the hours before it was killed.

Do you think it is silly to hold a vigil for the elk killed by a cop in Boulder, Colorado, or are the residents right to mourn the loss of the animal?