Gunman Charged After Mistaking Dog For Coyote

Palatine man shoots neighbors dog

A Palatine man is charged with animal cruelty after shooting a neighbor's dog he says he thought was a coyote.

Police say Piotr Holy, 40, initially denied shooting the dog, a 9-year-old German Shepherd mix, but later confessed.

The dog had apparently walked into his backyard to investigate a deer carcass Holy had on his property in the 1100 block of South Brockway Street, according to police.

The dog's owner called police when she heard a single gunshot shortly after the animal got away while she was trying to leash him.

Holy faces a felony count of aggravated cruel treatment of an animal, obstructing a peace officer and reckless conduct. He was also charged with unlawfully discharging a firearm while hunting within 300 yards of an inhabited dwelling without permission.

Police confiscated two .22 caliber rifles from his home.

Copyright CHIST - SunTimes
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