A cop was fired this month after firing his gun and pepper spray at a squirrel that made its way into a local Dollar General store.
The officer, Jody Putnam, was with the Mountain City police department for five years, according to ABC News.
The now former officer responded to a Sept. 27 call about a squirrel inside the convenience store, and once Putnam arrived, the animal appeared "agitated" due to the situation.
Putnam then tried to subdue the animal with pepper spray, which caused the customers to evacuate the store.
"There was a lot of people that come out and just like me they came out and they were coughing and a hacking," Carl Duffield, the Dollar General's manager, who spoke with WJHL.com. "It was comical, but I'm sure they didn't feel that way, the customers that came out."
After realizing the pepper spray wasn't working, Putnam then supposedly took out his gun and shot at the squirrel, according to The Tomahawak.
Some witnesses claim to have heard at least three shots, while others heard nothing but the "scream of the squirrel."
One witness claims to have seen the dead squirrel pinned underneath Putnam's shoe, according to ABC News.
Putnam failed to file a report on the shooting, nor did he tell his supervisor about it. Mountain City police requires officers to write a report on any incident that involves a gun. Putnam was fired Oct. 2.
"Through a violation of the police department policy Officer Jody Putnam's employment as a Mountain City Police Officer was terminated by the Board of Mayor and Alderman," Mountain City Mayor Lawrence Keeble said in a statement.
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