MIAMI – A fight between two dogs on the Fort Lauderdale beach boardwalk escalated into gunfire Friday afternoon, leaving a woman, another person and a dog injured, authorities said.
Fort Lauderdale police responded to reports of a shooting just before 5 p.m. in the 1100 block of Seabreeze Boulevard.
According to investigators, the altercation began when two dogs got into a fight. One of the owners then pulled out a gun and shot the other dog. During the gunfire, the dog’s owner, a woman, was also struck in the hand.
The woman’s boyfriend, Anthony Laplant, said he had briefly stepped away to get ice cream when the incident unfolded.
“They’re saying my dog bit him,” Laplant said. “My dog’s name is Sweetie – she’s never bitten a person in her life. She licks you to death.”
Witnesses described a chaotic scene.
“All of a sudden, I was walking on the beach and we heard screaming and a few gunshots – maybe like four,” said Joe Matelsky, who was nearby when the shooting happened. “I saw the woman on the ground, blood everywhere. One dog was barking and the other dog was covered in blood. She was screaming.”
Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue transported the woman and the shooter – who had suffered a dog bite – to Broward Health Medical Center. Both sustained non-life-threatening injuries.
The injured dog, Sweetie, was rushed to an emergency veterinary hospital for surgery and is expected to survive.
Police have not said whether charges will be filed as they continue investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
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