Minden police arrested a Pine Street resident Tuesday night after a dog was shot during an incident in the 700 block, according to a department report.
Around 10:16 PM on November 25, officers responded to the 800 block of Pine Street after the dog’s owner reported the shooting. She told officers her 10-month-old pit bull mix had slipped out of the house and run into a nearby yard. She retrieved the dog, but said it returned to the same location a short time later.
While in the yard attempting to get the dog again, the owner said her flashlight went dead. She told police she saw a muzzle flash and heard a gunshot. She did not see the dog get hit, but followed the animal home and discovered it had been shot in the mouth. The dog survived and is expected to live, she said.
The owner told police the dog will bark at people but does not bite and has never bitten anyone.
Officers then spoke with the resident involved in the shooting, identified as Jason Macdonald, 51. Police said Macdonald reported the dog returned to his yard and was barking and lunging at him in what he described as an aggressive manner. He told officers he feared he would be bitten and admitted to firing one shot with a 9mm handgun.
When asked why he did not call police about the dog entering his yard, Macdonald said the animal came back quickly and he believed it posed a threat. Police noted he was not bitten during the incident.
Macdonald was advised of his rights, arrested and transported to Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center. He was booked on aggravated cruelty to animals, illegal use of a weapon and a fugitive warrant through the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office.
All subjects are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.