Deer killed by police after breaking into Crystal Lake condo complex

A deer that made its way into a Crystal Lake condominium Tuesday morning was shot and killed by police, officials said.

Officers were called to the 700 block of St. Andrews Lane at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday for a deer that had worked its way into the courtyard of Four Colonies Condominiums and was trying to smash through outside windows, Deputy Chief Eugene Lowery of the Crystal Lake Police.

After several attempts of trying to free the doe, it reportedly broke through a window outside of a vacant condominium and jumped inside, trapping itself, Lowery said.

While inside, the deer put several holes in the walls and caused a tremendous amount of damage to the condo, Lowery said.

Members of the Crystal Lake Police Department and McHenry County Animal Control attempted to sedate and free the animal, but were unable to get close enough to knock it out, Lowery said.

Because of safety to the officers and to the public should it got out again, officers chose to euthanize it, Lowery said.

“The doe was acting very erratically either from it being trapped or because it was diseased for some reason,” Lowery said. “It was acting in a violent manner and was a clearly a threat to public safety, and with animal control unable to sedate it, after reviewing the facts, the injuries to the deer and the for injury injuries of the officers, we cleared the adjacent condominium and elected to euthanize it.”

The deer was eventually confined to a bedroom where it was shot, Lowery said.

“It caused a tremendous amount of damage to the condo,” he added. “Had that condo unit been occupied, it could have been a real disaster.”