Police shot and killed a coyote that attacked a 3-year-old boy playing in his back yard on Cape Cod.

The boy's mother told police she had to pry the coyote off her son Wednesday night.Daniel Neal suffered scratches and bites but did not appear seriously injured, Sandwich police Sgt. Daniel O'Connell said. The boy was listed in good condition.

Peter Trull, a coyote researcher, said it's the first documented coyote attack on a human in Massachusetts.

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The female coyote was shot by a police officer who rushed to the home after a frantic call from the mother.

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