At least four children were reported bitten by a fox Tuesday in southwest Charlotte, prompting concerns about a possible rabies infection.
The animal was shot and killed by an off-duty Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer around 6:40 p.m. after it bit an 11-year-old girl who was watching football practice at Kennedy Middle School near Arrowood Road.
When officers responded to a call for service, they found the fox underneath a set a metal bleachers at the school, which is located in the 400 block of Gallant Lane. They first tried to capture the animal but reported that it was acting too aggressively.
Earlier on Tuesday, a fox in that general area reportedly had bitten three pre-schoolers. The Mecklenburg County Health Department is working with CMPD to determine whether the animal had rabies.
The CMPD Internal Affairs office is investigating the incident, as it does whenever an officer fires a service weapon, a department spokesman said.
