Posted By Katie Oglesby on Apr 2, 2023 | 2 comments

By Katie Oglesby, Editor-in-Chief

According to The Gettysburg Times, early morning on Friday, March 24, someone killed a skunk with a machete on the 200 block of Carlisle Street. According to a video confirmed by The Gettysburgian, this individual was an enrolled Gettysburg student who claimed he killed the skunk because it was going to spray him.

Campus Safety would not respond to a request for comment on the basis of privacy for the student.

A neighbor on the 200 block of Carlisle Street who wished to remain anonymous said they believed it was a group of students involved, not just the one taking the fall for it. They said the group of students had returned from the bar in town drunk, and said that they believe the group of them saw the skunk, cornered, and killed it, rather than killing it in self-defense. 

This individual noted that the skunk was well-known on the street, and had never caused any problems to the students who lived there. 

“I do want the guys who did it to be held accountable,” they said. “I feel like the school’s trying to sweep it under the rug.” 

Another student who wished to remain anonymous said, “The lack of transparency on the part of both the school…in regards to this disgusting act [has] been disappointing and illustrated a sense that the school is trying to silence discussion on this incident rather than actually punishing those involved.”

It is unclear if the student identified in the video has been charged with anything. The Gettysburg Times article notes that the Gettysburg Police referred the issue to the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and that it was under investigation as of Monday.