Fox killed after attacking Lynn school aide, charging at animal officer

LYNN – An animal control officer shot and killed a fox Thursday afternoon after the canine reportedly attacked an aide outside an elementary school and then charged at the officer.”The fox charged at him, and he had to shoot it,” Lynn Police Lt. Richard Donnelly said Thursday afternoon. He said no injuries were reported in the incident.Police received a call from the Shoemaker Elementary School around noon reporting that a lunch aide had gone out to her car when a fox appeared and grabbed the leg of her pants, Donnelly reported. The aide tried to shake the fox off and was able to get into her car and drive home, where she subsequently called the school, police said.Donnelly said children weren’t allowed outside the building for recess as the animal control officer looked for the animal, but the fox could not be found.Police then received a call about 1:45 p.m. saying a fox had been spotted on Kerrins Lane, across Lynnfield Street.When an animal control officer got to the scene, he reported trying to use a “rabies stick” (basically a snare at the end of a long pole) to capture the animal, Donnelly said. But the animal charged, and the officer fired.”The fox is deceased, and the carcass will be sent for analysis,” Donnelly said.