Cyclist Injured After Police Shoot Sick Raccoon at Rockefeller

A cyclist riding west on Old Sleepy Hollow Road yesterday morning heard a gunshot and subsequently felt a burning sensation in his left leg, Mount Pleasant police said.

According to Chief Louis Alagno, the department received a call from the New York State Park Police at 10:38 a.m. on Sunday, stating they did not have a car that was able to respond to the scene of an alleged sick or injured raccoon near the Rockefeller State Park Preserve entrance on Route 117.

A Mount Pleasant police officer located the animal in the eastbound lanes of Route 117 and fired four or five rounds into the raccoon, Alagno said.

"The officer used his service pistol to shoot the animal and destroy it and subsequently moved the carcass to the side of the road," he said, pointing out the officer was "very conscious of where he was shooting," choosing to face away from both the roadway and park parking lots.

Later in the day, the department was notified that a cyclist had gone to the Sleepy Hollow Police Department headquarters after the incident and reported being injured after hearing the gunshot.

The man was transported to the Mount Pleasant Police Department, where officers held an investigation.

"It appeared he had a minor gunshot injury," said Alagno.

The department also interviewed several other cyclists who were riding with the 48-year-old injured Sleepy Hollow man at the time.

Alagno said the trail where the cyclists were at the time of the shooting is about 170 feet from the entrance to the park where the raccoon was shot, and is "completely obscured by foliage."

"The officer did not see the bicyclist and did not realize he was there," said Alagno.

The victim was convinced by police to go to Phelps Memorial Hospital for treatment and was released shortly after. No evidence of fragments stuck in his leg were found.

Alagno said the injury, a cut "less than a quarter inch" on the man's lower left leg, may have been caused by "either a fragment of one of the rounds or possibly a stone or debris propelled by the shot."

Remains of the raccoon were sent to Valhalla Animal Hospital today, where they will be tested for rabies.

Alagno said there is no evidence that the raccoon came into contact with any humans prior to the incident, though if tests results are positive, the cyclist may have to be treated for rabies, as it is possible a fragment of the bullet traveled through the infected animal and grazed him.

"It turned out to be a very unfortunate incident," Alagno said.

There have been several rabid animals in the area recently, including also discovered at Rockefeller, on the border of Mount Pleasant and Briarcliff Manor.