Man who allegedly killed Pinky the flamingo struck by a truck near his home in Florida

In 2016, Joseph Corrao became a household name.

Corrao, 45, visited Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida and according to police, picked up a flamingo and threw her so violently that she had to be euthanized.

Now, nearly three years after the incident, Joseph is in the news again.

On June 5, he was killed when he was struck by a truck near his home in Orlando.

 

According to the Tampa Bay Times, Corrao was walking across State Road 50 near his home in Orange County around 6 a.m. when a Ford F-150 pickup struck him.

He was transported to a nearby hospital where he later died.

He gained infamy for allegedly killing a beloved Busch Gardens flamingo in 2016. On June 5, he was struck and killed by a pickup truck.

Posted by New York Daily News on Tuesday, June 25, 2019

At the time of his death, the alleged animal killer was two months away from his trial for the killing of Busch Gardens’ famous, Pinky the flamingo.

In 2016, Corrao visited the park with his mother and children. While at the flamingo enclosure he picked up a bird and placed it back on the ground. He then picked up another, Pinky, and slammed her on the ground.

Witnesses told police the bird’s foot was nearly severed in the accident.

The 45-year-old reportedly told police he was trying to show off for his daughter and later apologized when he learned Pinky, the flamenco dancing flamingo, had to be euthanized.

Corrao spent five days in jail before being released on bail.

Upon hearing of his death prosecutors dropped the animal cruelty charge against him.

The driver of the vehicle was uninjured and at the time has not been cited for the accident.

Pinky has finally received justice.

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