This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

Officials fear an escalation of violence by a man who they say used a high-powered pellet gun to shoot and kill a peacock from his Mercedes-Benz in Palos Verdes Peninsula.

The peacock was shot at about 8:20 p.m. July 9 in driveway of a home in the 27000 block of Eastvale Road, said Lt. Cesar Perea, director of Animal Protection Services at Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles.

The pellets, he said, could have easily penetrated through the walls of a home and injured someone.

“It really speaks to the level of violence and the lack of compassion for these animals,” he said.

Click here to read the full story on LATimes.com.