The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency said Tuesday a Knoxville teen is potentially facing jail time after a video circulated the internet of a man injuring a Canada goose in Knoxville.
The TWRA said Kenneth Anderson, 18, has been charged with destruction of wildlife and will face court Nov. 18.
Matt Cameron with the TWRA said the offense is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by fines up to $500 and 6 months of jail time, or both.
Last week, Cameron said officers interviewed two people of interest and took statements about the incident. The TWRA presented its findings to the Knox County District Attorney General's Office to determine whether charges would be filed.
The video, which WBIR has not obtained the rights to, showed a man walking down the street with what appeared to be a crowbar or giant stick. He approached the geese and flung it right at the flock.
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The goose was heard wailing in pain and it stopped in its tracks. You could see one of its wings stick straight up like something was wrong.
The person recording the video could be heard laughing and saying "that's dead, boy".
The video was shared in a Knoxville Facebook group and some people said it happened near Knoxville College and Reynolds Street.
Someone also later posted a photo of the goose dead on the street.
Federal law protects Canada geese. It is illegal to harm geese, their eggs, or their nests in the United States without permission from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. According to the Humane Society of the United States, geese may be harassed or scared away without a permit as long as the geese, goslings, eggs, and nests are not harmed.
The Canada goose is the only goose that nests in Tennessee, according to TWRA.