Kat Stafford, and Daniel Bethencourt

Detroit Free Press

Members of the Grosse Ile High School lacrosse team are under investigation by police and the school district after allegations surfaced Monday that some of the teens killed an animal prior to a game.

Grosse Ile Township Police Chief Joseph Porcerelli confirmed Tuesday to the Free Press that his department is investigating the incident involving the team, which is known as the Grosse Ile Red Devils.

"Allegedly some of the team members got together before a game and killed an animal," Porcerelli said in an e-mail. "This incident is an open investigation."

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Citing the investigation, Porcerelli declined to release how many students were involved or more details about the killing. The incident did not happen on school grounds, he said.

It's unclear whether the act was committed by members of the school's varsity team or its junior varsity team. A game scheduled for the junior varsity team at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday against West Bloomfield High School has been canceled, according to the team's schedule on Schedulestar.com. The varsity team's game at 5:30 p.m. against West Bloomfield was postponed, according to the website.

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Joanne Lelekatch, superintendent of the Grosse Ile School District, said in an e-mailed statement that officials were notified Monday that one or more members of the high school lacrosse team "engaged in cruelty to an animal."

"The allegations related to the incident have resulted in the lacrosse season competitions being suspended by the district, pending the outcome of the investigations by law enforcement and the school district," Lelekatch said.

Lelekatch referred further comment to the police department.

“It is our policy not to speculate or comment further when a criminal investigation is under way," she said. "We respect the privacy of our students and thus will not make any further statements at this time."

According to Lelekatch, the school district's own investigation has been suspended at the request of law enforcement and won't be completed until the police department has completed its investigation.

“In cases involving these circumstances, our first priority is to ensure that law enforcement has access to the information it needs to conduct its investigation, taking into consideration all of the facts and circumstances.” Lelekatch said. “Once law enforcement has completed its investigation, we will be in a position to assess the facts and circumstances and, if necessary, apply our student or athletic handbooks."

Contact Katrease Stafford: kstafford@freepress.com or 313-223-4759.