Bow hunter who shot a deer near homes in Monrovia likely to be charged, state official says

A bow hunter who triggered outrage after he shot and killed a deer with an arrow near homes in Monrovia is expected to face charges from the L.A. County district attorney, said Capt. Patrick Foy of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Michael Rodriguez was caught on a home surveillance camera on Thursday, shooting a young deer with a bow and arrow. He has been interviewed by authorities, but not cited or arrested.

Since then, officials have been inundated with calls from people upset by the video, which has spread across social media.

“We have people clamoring for us to move faster,” Foy said. “They think we’re not taking this investigation seriously, but we are. We have to do our due diligence.”

Foy said an investigation is underway and charges against Rodriguez could include firing a weapon — a bow — within city limits.

“There are potentially other charges, but we can’t divulge the details at this time,” he said.

Monrovia police said they were notified of the incident on Saturday morning after homeowners Chuck and Robyn Tapert saw Rodriguez on their surveillance camera.

“I couldn’t believe it. I’m like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” Chuck Tapert told CBS Los Angeles. “Somebody took a shot at a deer right in front of our house in a residential neighborhood?”

It’s illegal to shoot deer within city limits.

Rodriguez told CBS L.A. that he first shot the animal in the forest, but the buck didn’t die because he hit it near its spine. He followed the deer into the residential neighborhood so he could kill it.

“I was following up a wounded animal and taking him out so he wasn’t suffering anymore,” Rodriguez said.

Officials with Fish and Wildlife took the deer carcass, along with the hunter’s equipment, as part of the investigation, Foy said.

esmeralda.bermudez@latimes.com

@LATBermudez

UPDATES:

2:20 p.m.: This article was updated to say that authorities seized the deer carcass.

This article was originally published at 1:10 p.m.