A father and son from Maryland are facing charges in connection with the shooting death of a wild horse at the Assateague National Seashore earlier this year.

Two herds of wild horses reside on Assateague Island: One herd resides on the island’s Virginia side and the other resides on the Maryland side.

In January a deer hunter discovered a horse carcass while participating in a scheduled two-day hunt on the Maryland side of the island.

Park officials determined that the 28-year-old mare had sustained a gunshot wound and died almost immediately. Assateague National Seashore Rangers and personnel from the National Park Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives subsequently investigated the incident