SEATTLE, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- Three Washington state men have been detained for allegedly going on wildlife thrill killings, police said.
One of the men, a felon, was jailed on arms charges, officials said.
The Kent-area men are accused of killing a bear and a squirrel for fun, as well many birds; trapping a raccoon, an opossum and a squirrel; and using a dead squirrel for target practice. The trapped opossum and squirrel died in their cages allegedly due to exposure from extreme cold, The Seattle Times reported.
"This was basically, 'If it flies it dies. Anything that moves we're going to shoot,'" Sgt. Kim Chandler, a state Fish and Wildlife officer, said.
Officers investigating the home of one of the alleged perpetrators, a previously convicted felon, found a cache of high-powered rifles, three handguns, body armor and 3,500 rounds of ammunition, Chandler said.
That suspect has been jailed facing possible charges of being a felon possessing firearms, holding wildlife in captivity, and hunting a bear with the aid of artificial light, the newspaper said Saturday.
There was no mention of bail amount.
