FAIRPARK -- What started as a family argument Tuesday night ended with two dogs being shot in the back yard of a residence.
A 40-year-old Salt Lake woman was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated cruelty to an animal, a class A misdemeanor, for allegedly shooting a chow and pit bull in her back yard while she was intoxicated. The shootings stemmed from an argument between the woman and her 24-year-old daughter, charges say.A Salt Lake Police Department report says the mother became upset when her daughter announced her decision to move out of state with her husband and four children.
The mother told her daughter, "I'm going to make sure your kids are taken from you," then threw a candle and two plants at her daughter before grabbing a gun, the report says.
The daughter said she then heard four shots, followed by her mother yelling at her, "You won't have your kids tomorrow," then two additional shots were fired, the report says.
The daughter's husband told police he saw the mother in the back yard shoot the family's pit bull once, then go after their second dog, a chow. Police found a 9mm handgun in the defendant's room. The pit bull was lying in the bedroom closet and blood was tracked throughout the house, charges state.
Both the pit bull, which was shot in the side, and the chow, which was shot in the leg and neck, were euthanized after the incident because the daughter could not pay the $1,500 it would cost to operate on the wounds, the charges say.
If convicted, the woman could face a $2,500 fine and up to a year in prison for each count of animal cruelty. In addition, the defendant was charged with discharging a firearm, a class B misdemeanor; carrying a weapon while under the influence, a class B misdemeanor; and assault, a class B misdemeanor.
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