CLAIRTON, Pa. (KDKA) – A family is devastated after a stranger shot and killed their dog in front of their house in Clairton and the shooter is claiming he felt threatened by the dog.
The dog’s owner said the man was walking down the middle of the street and once he passed the dog in the front yard, he stopped a couple of hundred feet away, turned around, and shot the dog twice.
“Let’s cut this story short, he shot and killed our dog,” said Shawn, who asked only to have his first name used.
He went on to say that his wife took their two dogs outside last Thursday night shortly before 10 p.m. While they were walking around in the front yard, he said the man came out of the American Legion and walked across the street toward their house, acknowledging the dogs as he passed by.
Then, according to the police report, he stopped and shot the dog twice, saying to police that he feared for his life.
“That’s a complete lie,” Shawn said. “The dog that he killed, if he was going to go at him, he would’ve barked and shown some aggression, but my wife said he sat right there.”
Police were called and immediately tended to the dog who died on the way to the animal hospital.
Now, the grief-stricken family wants to know why this happened and why the man responsible isn’t being held accountable.
“I just kind of got this feeling to myself like this is terrible,” Shawn said.
When Clairton Mayor Rick Lattanzi got wind of the situation, he began an investigation, telling us he talked with the police chief and is in the process of reviewing camera footage from the American Legion.
“I don’t think it’s OK for a dog to get shot but if the guy felt he was going to get mauled or he was going to get bit, I don’t what he was thinking, he would have to say that for himself,” Mayor Lattanzi said.
A man on the board of the legion who was there when the dog was shot confirmed, along with the mayor, that the man had at least three beers before leaving the club. He also has a background with the Pennsylvania State Police.
“I don’t care what he is, what his job is, but we’re going to get to the bottom of this legally,” Shawn said.
Mayor Lattanzi said once he and council review their findings if they feel a more thorough investigation is needed, they’ll turn it over to the district attorney.
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