BREAKING: Alleged Bayview Park Cock Shooter Surrenders On Animal Cruelty Charge After Rooster Shooting Video Sparks Outrage
Video of Bayview Park incident spreads rapidly online, prompting neighbors to identify him and lead to swift police action.
KEY WEST, Fla. — A Key West man turned himself in Thursday afternoon after police obtained a warrant charging him with felony animal cruelty in connection with the shooting of a rooster at Bayview Park earlier in the day.
Gregory Wayne Tolan surrendered at the Monroe County Detention Center less than five hours after the incident, authorities said. He is being held on a $25,000 bond at the Monroe County Detention Center on Stock Island.
The arrest follows the circulation of a witness-recorded video that quickly spread across social media, drawing widespread community outrage. The footage shows a man identified as Tolan walking away from a wounded rooster while holding what appears to be a rifle. The bird is seen on the ground moving erratically and appearing to suffer, with visible blood.
It is unclear whether the weapon involved was an airgun or possibly a subsonic ammunition .22 caliber rifle — commonly used in pest control for iguanas.
In either case, Tolan could face charges for illegaly dischargin a weapon in city limits, as well as an area like Bayview Park that is considered a gun free zone.
A witness told officers the man walked through a nearby neighborhood carrying the rifle after the shooting. During that time, the witness encountered another individual who identified the suspect as Tolan, according to police.
Tolan was also allegedly shooting chickens that were roosting in trees during the predawn hours.
Officers moved quickly to investigate, obtaining an arrest warrant within hours of the incident.
Authorities have not released additional details about the circumstances leading up to the shooting or whether the rooster was feral or owned — both of which are protected by a 2004 ordinance protecting all birds with in Key West City limits.
The case remains under investigation.
This is an evolving story. Watch this space.