Wildlife commission: Deer removed from Northgate Mall will be euthanized

Authorities removed a deer from inside Northgate Mall Wednesday morning after the animal managed to get inside the shopping center and ended up stuck inside a metal gate near the horse ride carousel.

No mall workers were hurt during the incident but the deer may have injured itself during the mall adventure because there was a large pool of what appeared to be blood and urine on the floor. It appears that the animal entered the Durham mall by breaking through a glass door at one of the mall's entrances.

The Durham County Sheriff's Office was called to the mall after the animal entered the center, authorities said. Yellow caution tape surrounded the entrance where the deer entered the building. Mall workers were seen early Wednesday cleaning up the shattered glass.

Roy Pollock is part of a walking group that was at the mall around 6:30 a.m. Wednesday morning. He saw the broken window and thought it a crime scene. Then, he saw the deer struggling to get free.

"We thought it was paralyzed, and then every so often the deer would try to get up and scramble with full power, kicking arms and legs, Pollock said. "(It) couldn't get the head out, and laid back down.

Crews tranquilized the animal and removed him from the metal grate where he had gotten lodged inside. The Durham Fire Department helped remove the animal, which was taken by the N.C. Wildlife Commission.

Wildlife commission officials said the deer suffered many cuts and will have to be euthanized.

A spokeswoman for the mall did not immediately comment on the incident.

"We felt sorry for him," Pollock said. "We say (we) hope he’s alright and they’ll turn him loose in the woods. We did say that if he was in a pro football game, he would be in concussion protocol."