More Details Emerge in Dog Shooting

At approximately 6:10 p.m. Monday, San Angelo Police were dispatched to the 2100 block of A&M Ave. for a shots fired call. Those shots came from a resident in the neighborhood who shot a Labrador Retriever. The man told police the dog bit him and continued to attack him.

Sgt. Cade Solsbery, public information officer for SAPD, said the shooter wasn’t seriously injured, and the dog is expected to live.

For one area neighbor who witnessed the event, she said she was surprised about the dog getting shot because biting wasn’t characteristic of the lab she knew.

“That doesn’t sound right,” she said. “I’ve seen the kids with this dog playing Frisbee, and I’ve seen the owner in the front yard with [it] sitting beside him without a leash. I’ve never witnessed this dog act out in such a way before.”

The witness, who wished to be anonymous for this article, said she was inside her home originally with another family member when they heard two shots and a dog yelp. She said the shots were so loud that she couldn’t tell what direction they came from.

“We went outside, and we looked around and didn’t see anyone or anything,” the witness stated.

At that point, the woman said she checked her dogs to make sure they were okay, and that’s when she heard people yelling.

When she went toward the source of yelling, she saw two residents who live nearby, one a young man estimated to be in his late teens or early twenties, yelling at a man who appeared to be in his 60s. The younger man yelled, “You shot my (bleep) dog!”

The witness said she couldn’t hear the older man’s response, but by this time, the police showed up. The witness stated that event though the police had shown up, the dog owner kept yelling at the shooter throughout, so the police separated them. There were about four to five officers, and half took the older resident inside the house. The other officers stayed with the dog owner and the wounded dog.

The witness added that she couldn’t see the condition of the lab because it was under a carport and a car was parked in front of it; however, when she walked forward, that’s when she saw red.

“There was blood everywhere,” the witness recalled.

For at least 15 to 20 minutes, the witness said police stayed with both men. After the 20-minute time frame, the shooter and his wife got in their car and left.

The officers remained with the dog owner and the wounded dog. Originally, Animal Control was at the scene to assist, but left without the dog.

The woman added that she noticed police officers looking through the shooter’s yard, trash cans, and on the side of the house. Once they did their search, SAPD left, as did the young man with his wounded Labrador Retriever.

The witness maintained that although the older man said the Labrador Retriever bit him and was continuously trying to attack him, she found that hard to believe.

Update: 1:18 p.m.

Sgt. Cade Solsbery, public information officer for SAPD, stated that the man attacked by the Labrador Retriever, was a 74-year-old resident who was with his wife outside visiting with another couple who were friends. They were standing by a vehicle when two Labrador Retrievers and a Doberman Pinscher charged at them. According to SAPD, the men shoved their wives in the car to get them to safety. One of the labs, a pit/lab mix, bit the resident on the hand, and when the dogs charged at him again, the man said he shot his gun, hitting one of the dogs.  

Solsbery added that the owner was inside the house when he heard the shots and went outside.

The man left to get his wound treated at Community Medical Center. He said he was trying to put pressure on the wound but it wouldn't stop bleeding, Solsbery added. Additionally, the dog owner took the Labrador Retriever to a veterinarian for treatment.

"At this time, I don't know if any citations have been issued because the case has been transferred to Animal Control Services," Solsbery stated.

An official at Animal Control Services said the case is still ongoing; however, the dog owner will have to place the dog that bit the older man in quarantine. The dog that was shot was not the same one that bit the man, however.

The dog owner provided a different side of the story on his Facebook page.

"Colt is a 7-month-old full blood LAB! He was shot through his right front paw. May lose it but not sure yet. My labs and roommates' Doberman pushed the gate open as I was inside. Neighbor approached my dogs on the side of my house and tried to grab my bigger lab and he bit his hand once and let go, so he decided to fire three rounds at all of them as they were running away. He shot the one puppy. I don't understand how you don't shoot the dog who bit you if you had your gun on your hip? Doesn't make any sense to me. And why not go inside the safety of your own house if you see three loose dogs? Don't approach the damn dogs. Call a damn animal control cop."