Editor's note (Jan. 21, 2025 at 11:11 a.m. EST): This story has been updated to reflect the correct name of the current Cooper City mayor, James Curran.
Cooper City residents aren't letting up after 30 Egyptian geese were run over by who police believe were a group of people in an off-road style vehicle caught on surveillance video.
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On Tuesday, upset residents voiced their opinions at a city meeting and called for increased safety measures.
"I know this, this kind of human behavior, if it doesn’t get addressed, it gets worse," one man said before the council.
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The incident that has the community so disturbed happened at approximately 7:45 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28 near Southwest 49th Street and Southwest 120th Avenue, in the lake easement area between the Flamingo Gardens West subdivision and the Countryside Shops Plaza, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Brian Schafler and his wife were the first to witness it. They said they saw how the geese were killed on a grassy swell near their home.
“They went back and forth back and forth, savagely running over these birds in the evening," resident Brian Schafler told NBC6 earlier this week. "Not just one, not five or 10, but over 30 injured geese lying there, necks broken, guts all over the place."
The community now proposes safety measures to help protect the area and the wildlife that lives there.
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"One important suggestion is to fence off the north and south ends to restrict motorized vehicle access and more cameras," a young woman said to the council.
Outside, she told NBC6: "I’m an animal lover, and I just think this is not normal. This is not a normal act... It was so sad for kids my age to have done that to poor animals."
Since the attack, the Broward Sheriff's Office released video of the group of people they believe is responsible.
They said the suspects are believed to be in their late teens to early twenties, and were last seen riding the off-road vehicle near the Flamingo Townhomes.
If arrested, the people responsible could face animal cruelty charges.
"I’m calling it a genocide. These boys chose to kill," one woman said at the meeting on Tuesday.
After listening to public comment, BSO Captain Christopher De Giovanni reassured the community the investigation is continuing.
"I had six meetings about this case yesterday. I'm meeting with the city manager first thing in the morning," he said.
Cooper City Mayor James Curran also offered to walk through the area to see what can be done.
"I’m very pleased," Schafler said after the meeting. "But actions speak louder than words. I want to see this come to fruition."
Anyone with information should call BSO Special Victims Unit Detective Dimos Charoudis at 954-321-4243. You can also remain anonymous and be eligible for a cash reward by calling 954-493-TIPS (8477) or submitting a tip online at browardcrimestoppers.org.
If your tip leads to an arrest in the case, you are eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.