RICHMOND, Va. -- The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources said a famous buck that roamed Richmond's Hollywood Cemetery was killed illegally.
The Department says charges are now pending against the suspect who they have yet to name.
People only learned about the death of the buck after the man accused of killing it sent a picture of himself with the deer to a hunting Facebook page.
It was posted to the Star City Whitetail public Facebook group that has over 70,000 followers.
The public page describes itself as a community for the average hunter who has a better-than-average passion for hunting.
Jeff Phillips is the host of the page. People from across Virginia send him snapshots of their hunting successes – and he posts them online.
“My page celebrates the hunting tradition,” Phillips said.
On Thursday afternoon Phillips posted pictures a man sent him. He said the man claimed the kill was taken in Prince Edward County on the hunt club.
Phillips said he made the post and within minutes his phone was blowing up.
“It’s pretty crazy to say in the least. In the time I’ve done this nothing has drawn that type of attention.” he shared.
People were telling him they believed the buck in the photo was a beloved deer that had roamed Richmond’s Hollywood Cemetery for many years.
It was known for its large, unusual antlers. Phillips, who is from Roanoke, said he just saw it initially as a great buck but did not recognize it immediately. The post has thousands of shares and comments.
“The page is a big deal. This particular guy knew that and he wanted to get it out there and boy did he,” said Phillips.
Allen Finch, who lives near Hollywood Cemetery, was concerned after seeing the photo.
“I couldn’t believe it. These are not deer that are hunted. They live right here in our community," Finch said. “My kids have even named some of the deer by name because they have been a part of the herd for so many years."
Finch said this buck was part of an urban herd that had different behaviors and was used to humans.
He is also concerned someone would use a weapon in an area many people frequent. He described what happened as baseless and hoped there would be accountability for what happened.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources says they were contacted and identified the deer in the picture as the Hollywood buck.
They said it was killed illegally and that charges are pending against the suspect.
They are currently investigating what they call a serious violation of Virginia wildlife laws.
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