The full weight of the University of Minnesota Police Department bore down on an unsuspecting skunk early Friday morning, ending in its untimely death.

Two University police officers were dispatched to investigate the skunk, which they observed "running around [a] parking lot with a cup stuck on its head," according to the records.  The officers visually confirmed the skunk’s inability to remove the cup before contacting University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner about the situation.

After some deliberation, "it was determined the humane thing to do was to dispatch the skunk," according to a case supplement written by Officer Todd Haugaard.

Haugaard fired two rounds, killing the skunk. The officers then advised University police dispatch to contact animal control to remove it’s corpse from the 600 block of 23 Avenue Southeast.