FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS — A pot-bellied pig that has been wreaking havoc throughout neighborhoods in southeastern Fairview Heights the past month has been shot and killed by a police officer, according to Lt. Steve Evans.

Evans said the black pig was shot at about 9 a.m. Sunday near Christ United Methodist Church on Frank Scott Parkway.

The Fairview Heights police had been assisting the city's Animal Control Department in attempts to capture the pig, estimated to be 50 pounds.

"We had been getting reports of this pig running loose in that area over the last month or more destroying personal property," Evans said.

It's believed the big was an abandoned pet, according to Amber Miller, director of land use and development for Fairview Heights.

Fairview Heights did contact St. Clair County Animal Control to tranquilize the animal, but the animal control department couldn't do that, according to its director, Jim Jacquot, because they didn't have the "chemical capture equipment" for that type of animal.

Evans said the police department is "investigating the decision to shoot the pig at this point."

The animal's carcass was picked up and removed by the city's street department, according to Evans.

Wally Spiers contributed to this report. Contact reporter Jamie Forsythe at 239-2562 or jforsythe1@bnd.com.