SPRINGFIELD, Va. (AP) - A northern Virginia police officer fatally shot a coyote suspected of biting several people after the animal also attacked him, authorities said Sunday.
The Fairfax County officer was searching a wooded area for the coyote, which had reportedly bitten three people in the vicinity a day earlier.
The coyote bit the officer, who fired his gun to end the attack, the department tweeted. The animal was found dead nearby, and the officer was taken to a hospital for treatment.
On Saturday, the department had announced it was investigating a report of three people being bitten by a coyote at a park in Springfield. None of the three had life-threatening injuries, the department said.
In a notice issued Saturday evening, county officials said they believed the coyote had rabies, according to WTOP.
