Investigators say someone shot and killed a wild stallion in Currituck Co. sometime Friday morning.

There are 91 wild horses that roam in Corolla. The one killed Friday is the 8th to die in the last six years. It has been confirmed that seven of those horses died from being shot, but the 8th was down in a ditch when discovered, making it difficult to determine is he was shot. However, experts believe shooting was involved in that case, as well.

Early Friday morning, someone hunting in the woods ran across the black stallion. Now, police tape marks the spot where police detectives pulled the horse out to the main road.

Tuesday afternoon, the results of a necropsy performed on the wild horse were released, confirming the animal died of a gun shot wound.

Karen McCalpin of the Corolla Wild Horse Fund tells WVEC.com the bullet fractured two of the horse's vertebrae before lacerating its spine.

Now, residents want to know who would kill the wild horse like that, and if all the shootings are connected.

"We don't know that they are releated, but that's almost equally disturbing to think that there could be more than one person or persons who continues to do this," said McCalpin.

The animals graze in a spot where many humans travel, so 13News asked if the shootings may have been carried out as self-protection. We were told, "No way."

"These horses see thousands of people every summer," said McCalpin. "They don't fear people. They don't approach people, but they mind their own business. They're basically gentle creatures."

In fact, the horse had grass in his mouth when he was shot, so they believe he was grazing when he was hit. The bullet fragments that were still lodged in his body when he was discovered may help put an end to the mystery of who has been shooting these animals.

"We do have forensic evidence," said McCalpin. "I really feel confident that they're going to do everything in their power to find the person that's responsible and bring them to justice."

In Virginia, the horse's body underwent a four-and-a-half hour necropsy, in which it was confirmed that the horse was suffering no previous maladies prior to being shot. McCalpin believes this would make it difficult for anyone to claim they were preventing the prolongment of an ailing horse's life as a motivation for the shooting.

Also, McCalpin does not believe the shooting was a hunting error.

"Being a solid, black stallion, I find it hard to believe anyone could mistake it for a deer," she said.

The forensics evidence collected during the necropsy is currently in the hands of the Currituck Co. Sheriff's Office.