Atlas Twp. – A vigilante shooter bent on ‘protecting neighborhood children? was arrested this week.
The 43-year-old Atlas Township man armed himself with a registered handgun and shot a neighborhood pit bull July 19 after two pit bulls on the loose attacked a neighbor’s dog.
‘The defendant stated he was not satisfied with animal control? after the suspected pit bull was not located, said Detective Sgt. Joe Parks, commander of the Genesee County Sheriff’s Department Atlas Township Precinct.
‘He said he was concerned for children in the area.?
Upon hearing gunfire, both neighbors and the shooter called 911. Sheriff deputies Ron Whitney and Linda Germaine, Sgt. Robert VanWormer, and Davison Township Officer Jay Rendon responded to the calls, which originated in the 8000 block of Tewksbury Place. The shooter was arrested and lodged in the Genesee County Jail.
‘You can kind of see the guy’s point,? said Parks, ‘but you just can’t go around with a 9 mm like that. What if a little kid stepped around the corner or you shot the wrong dog??
Legally, anyone who discharges a weapon is responsible for a bullet from the time the trigger is pulled until the bullet ceases to move, said Parks.
‘People just don’t understand that. If (the bullet) kills some kid playing in a swimming pool, that’s called murder.?