A screengrab of London, Ont. police shooting an injured deer.

They aren't exactly animal rights activists. Not usually.

But when they caught London police shooting an injured deer three times at close range, Joel Baker and Shane Hill couldn't keep their video to themselves.

"It was difficult to watch. Why did it take three shots at point blank to put it down?" asked Baker, who used his cellphone to video three officers who had been called out to deal with a severely injured deer in a Kipps Lane parking lot Sunday.

In the video, an officer is shown shooting the deer three times in the head at very close range before the injured animal finally stops trying to get up.

City police are authorized to kill or "dispatch" wild animals that are injured beyond rehabilitation in the city. In this case, the deer appeared to have broken limbs and antlers and was clearly suffering.

London police don't have tranquilizers and are not trained to give them, said Const. Ken Steeves. They do have access to more powerful rifles, but it wouldn't be safe to use one in a residential neighbourhood, he said.