Man fatally shoots Plain Township's family's dog dead in the driveway

[ok_cpu]

Link is paywalled and not archived yet: https://www.cantonrep.com/story/news/local/stark-county/2024/12/23/plain-township-dog-rocko-shot-and-killed-by-man-passing-by/77076009007/

PLAIN TWP. ‒ Rocko the dog burst out of the door of his Middlebranch Avenue NE home last week, delighted to see his owner's two girls coming home on the school bus.

The 55-pound canine playfully jumped on the 11-year-old, Shy'la Allen. Her 6-year-old sister, Zhavia Allen-Poole, went inside the house. Shy'la then told Rocko, who was super excited, to get down or get off.

The heart-warming greeting quickly turned tragic when an armed stranger, apparently mistaking the dog's actions as dangerous to the girl, emerged from his vehicle and shot Rocko dead, horrifying Shy'la.

The ordeal has left Rocko's family devastated and the gunman facing criminal charges for killing the dog moments after the children were dropped off on Tuesday afternoon.

Edited to add that the shooter has been charged with improperly discharging a firearm in a school safety zone and causing serious physical harm to a companion animal, both felonies. And two misdemeanors: criminal damaging or endangering and aggravated trespass.

[2naSalit]

1. Might start with...

Reckless endangerment of a child by shooting a gun toward her, if the dog was right there with her. WTF? I hope that guy goes through some serious consequences.

[ok_cpu]

2. He has been charged with two felonies:

improperly discharging a firearm in a school safety zone and causing serious physical harm to a companion animal.

I'll add that to the OP. Got a bit caught up in the four paragraph rule and left it out.

[2naSalit]

4. Thanks.

[ok_cpu]

5. Obviously wasn't there, but seems for him to argue that he thought the dog was attacking the girl

he would have had to fire the gun right next to her, right? Maybe even while the dog was on her. It's absolutely insane.

[magicarpet]

3. Got a gun,...

.... now just dying to find something to shoot. What is the point of the 2nd Amendment if you can not shoot your gun and kill something ?

Yeeee Haaaa,... bang bang,... you're dead. MAGA-rific

[biophile]

6. Absolutely!

This is probably true- someone with a hero complex who wants to be that “good guy with a gun”.

[magicarpet]

9. .... alpha Hyper-MAGA macho male,...

.... with a blood lust - fantasizing about his "rights to kill" to show the world how tough he is.

[Johnny999r]

10. Macho idiot

Exactly. What an idiot. Could have injured or killed the little girl as well. Jail his ass and revoke/confiscate his gun and rights to carry same. We need to tighten up gun laws, this country is out of control caused by rabid gun crazies and right wing nazi inspired media outlets.

[Ms. Toad]

7. Link

https://archive.li/NnDWu

(You can archive it yourself by using archive.li - just paste the story link in the box there and hit save.)

[ok_cpu]

8. Thank you! n/t