FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) – A dog owner opened fire during a brawl involving several dogs in a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood, striking four of them, two fatally, police said.
Fort Lauderdale Police units responded to reports of shots fired along the 1100 block of Northwest Seventh Street, at around 9:30 a.m. on Friday.
“We heard gunshots,” said a woman who lives in the neighborhood.
Investigators said five dogs were engaged in a fight, and at one point, a dog owner pulled out a firearm and began shooting, striking four of the canines.
Two dogs were pronounced dead at the scene, and police transported the other three to a local veterinarian hospital.
The dog owner, who did not want to be identified, told 7News he had no choice.
“His dog was supposed to be on a leash. They weren’t on the leash. They came over, his dog came running from over there to where my dog was and that’s when they jumped him and I had to defend him,” he said.
He said his dog, Sky, was left badly injured.
“Had to amputate the tail, they got to treat a leg,” said the dog owner.
The woman who spoke with 7News, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera, said the pack of pups in question have been problematic.
“He’s got some vicious dogs. That’s the second time that done happened,” she said
7Skyforce hovered above the scene as the deceased dogs lay covered with yellow tarps on a grassy area next to a property.
Detectives said another dog owner was bitten while trying to break up the fight. Paramedics with Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue treated him at the scene, and he went with his other two dogs to the animal hospital.
“He got a cut on his finger. One of the dogs bit him,” said a woman who said she’s the mother of the dog owner who was bitten.
This woman described what preceded the dog fight.
“The other neighbor’s dog was coming by, and he was sitting out with his dogs, and the dogs just started — they was into it before, at another event — and they just got into it and they just started fighting,” she said.
Officers with FLPD’s Animal Crimes Unit were seen removing the bodies of the two dogs that were killed, as they attempt to determine the exact circumstances that led up to this shooting.
Fort Lauderdale Police said the dog owner who opened fire is not expected to face any penalty.
“At this time, we are not looking at any criminal charges on the shooter,” said FLPD spokesperson Casey Liening.
But the owner of the dog who did not have them on a leash may be facing consequences.
“The owner of the dog who were not on the leash could face fines or arrest,” said Liening.
Detectives said everyone involved with this incident is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.
As of late Friday afternoon, the condition of the other two dogs who were shot is unclear.
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