Euthanasia of horses was not illegal or immoral, Merced County sheriff says
An investigation by the Merced County Sheriff’s Office into the killing of four horses at an Atwater property last year is complete, and Sheriff Vern Warnke said nothing illegal or immoral transpired.
A video of the killings published on social media last month by an animal rights group based in Maryland raised concerns in the community about the incident.
Warnke told a Fresno TV station that while the euthanasia of the horses was unfortunate, it was something that needed to be done.
“Yeah, nobody wants to see that. ... I grew up with horses, rode a lot. And there’s occasionally that you have to do this, and it’s not a pleasant thing to have to do,” Warnke told KSEE 24. “It’s an ugly thing to have happen, but it does happen. And again, with this one here, there was no illegal activity. There was no immoral activity, and there was no abuse activity pertaining to how those animals were euthanized.”
According to Animals’ Angels USA, the body camera video depicted horses being shot to death March 28, 2025. The video is graphic. After publishing it, Animals’ Angels USA created an online petition to “demand accountability.”
The animal rights group claimed that one horse survived for more than 40 minutes after being shot and another required six gunshots before finally dying.
After the video drew the attention of the community, the Sheriff’s Office said it would review the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to Warnke, the horses were dumped at the Atwater property of horse trader Don Gatz. They were in poor condition and needed to be euthanized.
According to the Sheriff’s Office, veterinary professionals and animal services staff were present during the event.
According to the California Food and Agriculture department “Cattle & Horse Euthanasia Guidelines,” euthanasia of horses by gunshot is legal for emergency situations.
“We saw something on video that, as an agency procedurally that we wanted to address, but they did nothing illegal or immoral. We just want to make sure the procedures are followed, and so that’s where we’re at with that,” Warnke said.
