GRASS LAKE, Mich. (WSYM) - A Grass Lake family is mourning the death of one of their pets after their dog ran into their neighbor's barn and was shot dead.
Another one of the family's dogs was injured during the shooting and rushed to the vet.
FOX 47's Cryss Walker spoke with the family.
“I heard boom, boom”, said 7-year-old Logan Ropp.
“They were crying, they just were devastated that somebody would shoot their dogs”, Amanda Bamm told FOX 47 News after witnessing the despair.
A local family is working to figure out how they went from walking their dogs, to sending one to the emergency and burying the other in a matter of minutes.
“Hey my dogs in there and he needs help”, said Carna Ropp, who owns the two Huskies.
“Do you know what happened, did you see anything? And then he immediately told me that he shot both dogs.”
Carna says her dogs, nine-year-old Ralphie and three -year-old Niko ran-off on their neighbor’s barn across the road, while her son was trying to put them behind the gate for after an afternoon walk.
But when they got loose; “My one son says, ‘mom I heard the gunshots, you know, I heard it’…” explained Carna.
Ralphie was killed and Niko was rushed to undergo emergency surgery after being hit.
“There was a helper that didn't live there, he just helps on the farm”, said Carna.
“He had shot the dogs.”
Carna admits that the dogs did trespass on her neighbor's barn but she says her dogs did not pose a threat.
“He said he had shot the dogs at first to me because the dogs were roweling up the cows and he didn't say anything that they were hurting them."
Leaving this family devastated.
“They just got out”, said Bamm.
“You know it was just an accident. And a mistake and they ran across the street and they instantly were shot.”
The Jackson County Sheriff's Department is investigating.
We'll let you know if the shooter faces any charges.
