Teen's dog is shot on Virginia Street
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on August 17, 2016 1:46 PM
Someone shot a teenager's dog on Virginia Street Friday night, and the dog had to be put down as a result of the gunshot wound.
Edwan Pineda, 17, when reached by phone Monday night, said he heard a single gunshot outside his residence in the 300 block of Virginia Street Friday night around 10:45 p.m., and walked outside to find his dog had been shot in the left side of its head.
"He didn't immediately die," Pineda said. "He was still moving around when I went outside and he knew he was hurt. We took him to an emergency veterinarian but they said there was nothing they could do and they had to put him down."
The dog's name was Apollo, and the dog was 4 years old, Pineda said.
Pineda said he saw three men running away from his house when he went outside after hearing the gunshot.
One of the men was larger, black and had facial hair and dreadlocks, and Pineda said the man was moving slower than the other two men and appeared to be putting something away into a backpack. Pineda said the man was wearing a white tanktop, was carrying a black backpack and was wearing black jeans with "flashy designs" on the back pockets.
The other two men were taller and skinnier, were also black and ran away from the house faster than the other man, Pineda said.
"All I heard was one shot, and that tells me it was not in self-defense and that whoever shot my dog was aiming at him," Pineda said.
Pineda said Apollo was a large, white dog that was friendly and known to his neighbors, and that while Apollo was large and could be seen as intimidating, the dog had never hurt anyone and would always return home after exploring outside his fence for a bit.
"I heard no growling or screaming before I heard the gunshot, and that tells me that nothing was happening before they shot him and that it wasn't in self-defense," Pineda said.
According to a police report filed on the incident, there are no suspects in the case and the dog was shot with a handgun.
Pineda said he believes the three men he saw running away from his house Friday night live in his neighborhood.
Anyone with information about this crime, or any other crime in Wayne County is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 919-735-2255 or text at 919-222-4230.
Callers will remain anonymous and if your information leads to a felony arrest you will be given a cash reward for the information.
Crime Stoppers gives cash rewards of up to $1,000 for information leading to felony arrests.
Crime Stoppers is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, funded solely by private donations. To make a donation, contact Goldsboro-Wayne Crime Stoppers Director Rick Sutton at 919-734-8177.