Five animals have been shot recently in Berkeley, and police are asking for witnesses to come forward with any information that might help them find the culprit. So reports KRON 4, which notes that the animals were found Saturday after having been apparently shot with a pellet gun. Three died at the scene, and two died later after being taken to the Berkeley Animal Shelter.

The animals were found on the 100 block of Seawall Drive, a road with no houses that runs through Shorebird Park to the Berkeley Yacht Club. The animals were a cat, an opossum, and three raccoons.

While, yes, raccoons can be scary creatures, this case reads more like someone heading to the park with the intention to kill some animals rather than an incident of someone protecting him or herself.

The Chronicle picked up the story as well, and reports that two of the five animals might actually have been poisoned — not shot. This calls to mind the case of the meatball poisoner leaving meat laced with strychnine around the city. A toxicology report is still pending, so at this point officials are not sure if the same poison (or any poison, for that matter) was used this time around.

Police are investigating this as an animal cruelty case, and you can contact them at 510-981-5900 if you have any information.

Related: Berkeley Law Student Pleads Not Guilty To Bird Beheading