Man arrested after video captures fatal shooting of dog in Riverside County
A man who authorities said shot and killed his neighbor’s dog was arrested Saturday after purported video of the dog’s death was posted online.
Riverside County Sheriff’s Department investigators arrested and booked 54-year-old Christopher Samuel, a Mead Valley resident, on charges of animal cruelty and negligent discharge of a firearm, according to a news release.
Officials said the incident began Friday when deputies received several reports of gunshots fired in the 17500 block of Clark Street in the unincorporated community. Deputies reported that when they arrived on the scene about 3:30 p.m., they found a dead dog.
Investigators returned the following evening with search and arrest warrants. Samuel was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center, according to the news release.
Video posted on Facebook by Alexis Lemmon, who said she was the dog owner’s daughter, identified Samuel as the man in the video who shot the dog. In the video, which garnered more than 100,000 views, the dog is seen running around a yard as a man shoots at it.
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Another man recording the expletive-filled video shouts that his dog had been enclosed in the yard and then screams as a gunshot rings out and the dog falls to the ground. As the man screams at the shooter, the shooter shoots the dog once more.
Media outlets identified the dog as a 2-year-old pit bull.
“Please do not let this murderer get away with this,” Lemmon said in the Facebook post. “This is evil and I am TRAUMATIZED, the dog wasn’t even attacking, he was running away with his tail between his legs.”
The Riverside County Department of Animal Services posted about the video on its Facebook page Saturday night, stating that staffers were familiar with the incident.
” ... [I]n light of this video, and since it will likely generate much discussion, we want to ensure the public that we will do everything we can to make sure a thorough investigation related to the dog’s death is pursued,” the agency said.
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