Then you need to re-read the thread. The issue is not that "cuddly little fawns got killed" but that a representative of the government intruded, warrantless and unannounced, onto private property and discharged his weapon in close proximity to an inhabited dwelling. It really doesn't matter what the pretext was, or whether the officer was legally withn his rights. Actions like this are both corrosive of property rights and have great potential to escalate into serious situations. In rural areas many homeowners have a loaded rifle ready-to-go. This cop was lucky that the hysterical homeowner was armed with an iPhone and not a locked and loaded M1A.
In years past police were issued a 12 gauge shotgun and the ammunition was 00 Buck Shot.
00 buck shot is NOT bird shot, it has a diameter of 0.36".
According to Winchester their loads leave the muzzle at 1,325 feet per second with 9 pellets in each load.
00 buck shot can be lethal at 100 yards.
The articles do not say what type of ammunition was used in the department-issued shotgun.
If it was buckshot the officer should be out of a job.