SEQUIM — A strange sheep execution that took place last week in the Happy Valley area has neighbors concerned and law enforcement personnel stumped.
Three lambs were shot in the head with what appear to be .22-caliber rounds, said animal control officer Greg Glassock.
What makes the case odd, he said, is that the killer went to a lot of trouble to get at these three animals and could easily have been caught in the act — yet there’s no apparent motive for the crime.
“It’s a tough one,” he said. “No one saw anything. The gun that was used is a pretty common one.”
The lambs belong to Fred Hatfield. He said he discovered the carcasses Thursday morning when a customer came by his farm wanting to buy one.
Late-night shootings
He said at least five shots were fired, based on the number of bullet holes he found in his animals, and said the shooting happened around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“We can’t find any shell casings,” Hatfield said. “There was hardly any noise.
“Why would they leave the animals lying there? I could understand if they had taken them.”
The shooter was within 50 feet of a rental house on the property and 150 feet from his house, Hatfield said. His tenants heard something that sounded like a car backfiring.
“Nobody really heard it as gunshots,” he said.
He didn’t hear anything at all, even though a window in his house was open.
He initially didn’t think the incident was important enough to report, he said, but his neighbors were also concerned and convinced him to go to the authorities.
