7 foot "Python" Shot after Attacking Truck

Sounds a bit like something out of a horror movie, but I am having a hard time imagining any of this actually happening, to be honest. According to several news reports (like this one: Nearly 7-foot long snake shot by state trooper, from the The Grand Rapids Press) a man saw the snake in the road, and when it lunged at his truck he decided to run it over repeatedly, fearing for the safety of neighborhood kids and pets. Somehow the snake survived being repeatedly run over, and was still trying to strike (gee, I wonder why?) when a state trooper arrived. Deciding there was no other options, the state trooper shot the snake. In the initial news reports, the snake was reported as being a Burmese python (supposedly identified by a pet store) though it looks like a boa constrictor in the photo (a later story from the Grand Haven Tribune stated that it was, in fact, more likely a boa constrictor). Frankly, I think those involved latched onto the Burmese python angle as that makes the snake seem scarier - after all, a Burmese python can get really large and have been involved in some human fatalities. However, boa constrictors do not get much larger than the snake in this incident and would not be that much of a threat, despite the truck driver's assertion that the snake would have eaten his 50 pound dog and "this snake was big enough it could have swallowed a kid" (Aggressive python killed by trooper, Muskegon Chronicle). Anyway, what I find most troubling is that not only did this man decided repeatedly running over the snake was a good option in the first place, the state trooper decided that firing 3 shots at the snake was the best way to deal with it (seems to me that was more of an immediate danger to nearby residents, but anyway). Though the snake was probably be best off being euthanized after being run over so many times, I somehow don't think that's what the state trooper was thinking at the time. I guess sometimes people are so panicked when they see a snake, especially a large one, that they don't stop to think through the options. The snake must have been somebody's pet, and either escaped or was dumped. Very sad for the snake. What do think of this situation? Share your comments below.

Related Reading:

• Boa Constrictors
• Burmese Pythons
• Never Release Exotic Pets