MASON CITY — A Sunday morning shopping trip took a bizarre and frightening turn at a Mason City grocery store when a large buck crashed through a window, charged into the store’s dining area and caused a commotion that left a 5-year-old boy injured.
The unusual incident unfolded November 1, 2026, at the Hy-Vee East grocery store, located at 551 South Illinois Avenue in Mason City.
According to Mason City Police Department spokesman Mike McKelvey, officers received a report at approximately 11:14 a.m. that a large male deer had smashed through a window and was running loose inside the store’s dining area.
Callers also reported that a 5-year-old boy was bleeding from his head or face.
Police officers and Mason City Fire Department personnel arrived at approximately 11:19 a.m., just five minutes after the initial report.
But by the time emergency responders reached the grocery store, two quick-thinking Hy-Vee employees had already managed to wrangle and shoo the frightened buck out a rear door.
The deer escaped and disappeared into the surrounding area. Its whereabouts and condition remain unknown.
Meanwhile, customers inside the store had stepped in to assist the injured child before emergency medical personnel arrived.
Mason City Fire Department medics subsequently treated the boy, whose injuries appeared to be minor.
Police said the child and his parents are Mason City residents. Authorities did not release their identities.
Investigators observed blood on the floor inside the grocery store, but McKelvey said police believe most of it likely came from the deer.
The buck may have suffered cuts while crashing through the glass window, although authorities have not established the extent of its injuries.
Police also said there have been no reports of a vehicle striking the animal before it entered the store.
Whether the buck was already injured before crashing through the window remains a mystery.
While a deer rampaging through a grocery store is an unusual sight, encounters between deer and people have sometimes had serious consequences in North Iowa.
In April 2024, NorthIowaToday.com reported that a 22-year-old Mason City man died after his motorcycle struck a deer near Plymouth.
Hy-Vee East itself has appeared in previous NIT police coverage, including a November 2014 incident involving a disturbance that brought officers to the grocery store.
Sunday’s encounter, however, involved a very different kind of unexpected visitor.
McKelvey noted that although such incidents are uncommon, Mason City police have encountered a small number of similar situations over the years involving deer crashing through large picture windows and then running frightened through homes or businesses within city limits.
In this case, quick action by two Hy-Vee employees, assistance from customers and a rapid response from police and firefighters helped bring the startling episode to an end.
The deer, however, apparently had other plans and vanished after making its unexpected appearance inside the grocery store.
The child’s injuries appeared minor, and the buck’s ultimate fate remains unknown.