A grandma heard gunfire in Fort Mill. Then, about the coyote 'foaming from the mouth'

Tega Cay is not be the only area with coyote concerns.

Fort Mill police responded Sunday afternoon to the Savannah Place neighborhood after a woman said she heard gunshots. Fearing for her granddaughter’s safety, she told police the shots came from outside the subdivision.

Officers met a neighbor on Hensley Road West who said he fired three shots, according to a police report. The man said he saw a coyote in his front yard. He told police the coyote was “foaming from the mouth.”

He told police he thought he was in the county and was allowed to shoot the gun.

Police told him he can not discharge a firearm within city limits, according to the report.. No charges were filed, according to the report.

Earlier this month, Tega Cay set out five traps after a man and his two Rhodesian Ridgeback dogs encountered a coyote. One of the dogs was bitten in the back, the dog’s owner said. Three coyotes had been reported caught and dispatched as of Tuesday.

Coyotes have been a growing concern for York County residents for more than a decade.

Coyotes are becoming so common, the mammal was one of three finalists for mascot of the coming Catawba Ridge High School in Fort Mill.

Jay Butfiloski, furbearer project supervisor with South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, told the Fort Mill Times in late 2016 there isn’t any feasible way to eradicate coyotes in the area. Municipalities, like Tega Cay and Fort Mill, he said, have it tougher than rural areas where many coyotes are dealt with using a rifle or shotgun.

Fort Mill police will discuss with SCDNR whether to place traps in the area for coyotes, according to the police report.

Residents should call South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for wildlife issues.

This story was originally published July 18, 2018 at 3:57 PM.