Come on guys, pretty quick to pass judgment.
There are a lot of unknowns about this incident. You can clearly see that the elk was shot in someone?s yard, or at least in a populated area. An interview of a man says that the elk showed aggressive tendencies (bluff charges) towards residents. The Police officers reported that the elk may have been injured (we don't know).
Fact of the matter is, we/ you don't know what the policies are of the Police department involved with this incident.
Police can legally kill animals for several reasons (and don't need permission from Wildlife Departments). 1st reason, they are sick/ injured and the officer feels they need to be put down immediately. 2nd reason, the officer feels the animal is a danger to himself or others. There are also a few other reasons.
That being said, I would be willing bet that a few department policies were violated. That is most likely why the officers were placed on administrative leave, not because they killed the elk.
Police have a tough job and have to make quick decisions. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are wrong, sometimes they are not popular. It is easy to Monday morning quarterback the incident, but in the end, none of us were there. We don't know what the officers were thinking. If they violated policy they will be disciplined. If they abused their power and broke a law they will be charged.
It is pretty unfair to pass judgment without knowing all the facts. Police reports are public record. If you want to know what is happening then place a request to view the Police report.