PD: cows shot while grazing in pasture

NORTH STONINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) -- Police may be close to making an arrest in a disturbing shooting out in North Stonington. Two young cows were shot as they grazed in an open pasture.

This is one more thing weighing heavily on a longtime farmer.

The Jersey-Holstein mix has already seen disturbing violence in its young life.

"That's where the bullet went through right there."

It is one of two yearlings that was shot while grazing in a field on Pendleton Hill Road. You can see where bullets struck its right ear and its back, just missing its spine. The other cow wasn't so lucky.

"Her tongue was hanging out, her jaw was fractured or shot off part of it," said George Palmer, farmer.

Mark Taylor, who raised the yearlings since day one, discovered the disturbing injures when he was feeding them on Saturday.

"Jaw line and tongue was like completely out where it had been dismembered," Taylor said. "So it was terrible, it was really sickening."

Due to the extensive injuries that cow, which belonged to George Palmer's son, had to be put down.

At first they weren't sure what had happened, but then a neighbor told Palmer that he heard gunshots at about 12:30 the night before. Then it all made sense, or rather it didn't make sense as to why someone would want to shoot these cows.

"It's very sickening, very sickening to see that this come to that," said Taylor, "take care of an innocent animal like that, and do something like that is what really hurts."

They say police have a good idea who did this.

"These supposed perpetrators have caused a lot of trouble," said Palmer. "They don't want to stop. What are you supposed to do with these kids like that?"

"I couldn't really say what I'd like to do," said Taylor, "but I know what needs to be done lawfully."

Devastating and destructive. In an industry full of challenges, Palmer says this is one more thing adding to the struggle.