May 23, 2007 6:25 pm US/Eastern
Police Kill Coyote Near Where Child Was Attacked
MIDDLETOWN, N.J. (CBS/AP) ―
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A coyote like this one was shot and killed by Middletown Township police early Wednesday.
Courtesy Cher-Ami Palmer
Police shot and killed a coyote early Wednesday less than a mile from where a five-year-old boy was attacked earlier this week.
It was not immediately clear whether the animal that was killed was the same one that bit Brayden Gazette as he and his sister were walking near their home on Monday.
"It's somewhat of a relief, but I'm still going to be watching out for my kids every minute," said the boy's mother, Joann Gazette. "Who knows how many more are out there? And how can anyone be sure if this is the one who bit my son?"
She said the spot where the animal was killed is about three-quarters of a mile from her home.
Township Administrator Robert Czech said police were able to corner the animal and chase it along a fence of the Earle Naval Weapons Station.
"It was apparently trying to find an access point back into the Navy property," he said.
At one point, police officers found themselves on a slight elevation looking down on the coyote, and an officer used his .40-caliber handgun to shoot the animal, firing four to six times, Czech said.
At least four other coyotes were spotted by police before the animal was killed, he said.
"I'm relieved we got one so that we can get some information about the population that might be out there: whether she was nursing or had pups," he said. "But this underscores that there are other coyotes out there. We saw at least five."
The coyote that was killed was a female that weighed about 35 pounds.
The body of the animal was turned over to a state fish and game officer. It was to be taken to a laboratory and tested for rabies.
Joann Gazette saw her son and 8-year-old daughter, Sydney, screaming as they ran to their home after Monday's attack.
She said the children were in a neighbor's yard across the street from their home at about 8:15 p.m. Monday when the animal bolted from a stand of trees and jumped on Brayden, biting his head. The animal ran off when Sydney screamed.
Gazette took Brayden to Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, where he got 46 stitches in the back of the head, as well as two shots for rabies.
Monday's coyote attack marked the second on a child in as many months in this wooded, suburban town about 40 miles south of New York City.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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