KEY WEST, Fla. — Officials in the Florida Keys say they euthanized a protected bird that was shot off a ship’s mast.

Key West Wildlife Center Executive Director Tom Sweet tells the Miami Herald the osprey had been rehabilitating since it was injured in August.

He said that during a routine examination this week, officials discovered that the bone tissue near its fractured wing was dying and “likely to cause systemic problems.”

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Authorities arrested 22-year-old Josiah Fetzer on charges of cruelty to animals and violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

Officials said Fetzer shot the bird from atop the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Ingham, which is a floating museum.

Fetzer worked for the museum but has since been fired.

He later told Florida wildlife officials that he was only trying to scare the bird.

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