The heartwarming story about a Bloomington police officer who saved a snowy owl has a sad ending. Police on Tuesday confirmed the owl died.

An officer on Monday night rescued the bird which had became stuck in the grille of a vehicle driving along Interstate 494. After freeing the owl, and after posing for a selfie, the officer took his feathered friend to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center for treatment, the department said.

In its original tweet, the Bloomington Police Department said "the owl only had minor injuries."

At the Raptor Center the owl "was looked after and cared for throughout the night but unfortunately his internal injuries were more substantial than we thought and sadly he has passed away," the police department tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

It ended its tweet with a hashtag: #AGreatOldLife.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768