OAKLAND -- Residents in an Oakland hillside community reacted with horror and anger Wednesday to the slaughter of 15 goats -- brought in to help with wildfire control -- that were gunned down as they rested in a corral.

Stewart Elliot has lived in the neighborhood for 15 years. He said the goats' annual appearance for fire suppression duty is highly anticipated by local children.

"It's so sad," he told KTVU. "This is such a peaceful area. We have grown to love our goats…Every year there are more baby goats and more kids come out to see the baby goats. The thought of them getting shot or killed is really bothersome…It's a little scary… a little creepy."

The goats' owner -- Robert McGrew of Sacramento -- was outraged by the killings.

"I've been doing this program since the early 1990s and we've never had this problem," he told KTVU. "The goats are just innocent animals trying to protect the houses and property of Oakland…The norm of the people love the animals, we are bringing the farm to the city to help them. To have someone just go out and shoot them is pretty barbaric and inhumane at the least."

Authorities said the goats were killed by small-caliber gunfire sometime during the overnight hours on Monday. Around 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday residents called 911 reporting possible gunshots, but responding police could not locate anything out of the ordinary.

Then a jogger came across a scene of carnage at around 8 a.m. in the King Estates Recreation Area and contacted animal control officials, according to Sgt. Dave Cronin of the Oakland Animal Shelter.

Twelve of the 15 dead goats were found in a corner of the pen where they had fallen. The remaining goats' bodies appeared to have fallen prey to coyotes or mountain lions. They have been dragged from the pen and partially eaten.

Necropsies would be conducted on the animals on Wednesday in an effort to further the investigation.

The goats were part of a herd brought in annually to munch on undergrowth to aid in fire prevention in the East Bay Hills. They are owned by private herders.

Anyone with information is asked to call Oakland Animal Services at (510) 535-5640 or Voices for Pets at (925) 685-5388.