A man allegedly threatened a family before shooting and killing their dog and then himself. By accounts, the family involved didn’t even know who he was. Police in Mesa, Arizona, did not identify the individual on Sunday. The family is mourning the loss of their beloved, five-year-old pit-bull mix Bailey, according to KSAZ.
“Bailey’s the hero here,” said a man identified as Doug. “She saved multiple lives in this situation. If we didn’t have a dog to run out of this door and take that bullet, he was coming for us.”
Police told Law&Crime in a statement that the incident happened Tuesday before 11 a.m..
“An unknown man with a handgun approached a man and a woman at this location,” officers said. “The family dog came out of the residence and was shot by the unknown man. Officers did locate the unknown man at a different location where he shot himself. The man and woman were unharmed and unfortunately, the dog did not survive.”
The family says that the individual was a stranger. He approached Doug’s fiancée Kyleigh, the family said. Doug and the couple’s 7-year-old child went outside to see what was happening. The individual pointed a gun at them, the family said in the KSAZ report. They ran to get back inside, but Bailey ran past them as they opened the door.
“I say, ‘Bailey, sit,’ and she sits, and she didn’t bark. She didn’t growl. Her mouth didn’t open,” Doug said. “I said, ‘Please don’t do anything, she’s not going to do anything,’ and he pulled the trigger and shot her right there.”
Doug described Bailey in glowing terms.
“The sweetest dog,” he said. “She was a couch-loving, bed-sleeping–there was no rules for Bailey. She was the princess.”
A neighbor, who discussed witnessing the shooting, voiced distress.
“I got sent home from work because I just can’t hold myself together,” the neighbor told the outlet. “I’ve been getting anxiety attacks ever since. Like I haven’t been hanging out outside and that’s usually what we do all day, sitting outside together with our families.”
Doug signaled plans to move.
“35 years old and I never had to witness this in my life, but my 7-year-old has to,” he said. “It’s killing me, man. We just have to get out of here.”
They are raising money through GoFundMe to facilitate the move. The campaign got $2,100 of a $6,000 goal as of Sunday.
[Screenshot via KSAZ]
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