Teen arrested for fatally shooting an American bald eagle in north Harris County

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A 17-year-old has been charged after allegedly killing an eagle.

Orlando David Delgado allegedly shot a bald eagle to death on Tuesday near White Oak Bayou.

A resident in north Harris County told Harris County Sheriff's deputies that he heard a loud pop in back of his property.

He said he saw three men standing near the base of a tree where an American bald eagle had nested for a few years. One of the men was armed with a rifle.

When he approached the men, he discovered the American bald eagle was dead.

Before deputies arrived, the witness said Delgado and two friends returned to the area and one of them pulled a feather from the eagle's body.

Delgado told the deputy that he shot the eagle with a high-powered pellet rifle, according to authorities.

Delgado told deputies the initial shot didn't kill the bird, so he shot it several more times.

Because of his Delgado's age, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declined to prosecute, but Game Warden H.R. Volschenk of the Texas Parks and Wildlife decided to charge Delgado with hunting without landowners consent, which is a class A misdemeanor.