A man was charged after a pet cat was shot with a pellet gun.
According to a criminal complaint reported by Greater Milwaukee Today/The Freeman, New Berlin police responded Monday to a resident's report that her cat had been shot with a pellet gun and needed surgery. The incident happened near South Clover Knoll Place. Pickles is described in the complaint as a domestic shorthair cat about a year old who wore a collar because he was allowed outdoors as well as indoors.
The cat's owner told police Pickles had been in her backyard between 4:50 p.m. and 5:10 p.m. before he apparently slipped off his leash, the complaint states, per the same account. She then heard Pickles crying at her rear porch door and saw blood coming from his stomach, prompting her to suspect her next-door neighbor, Birr, was responsible.
X-Rays Reveal the Cause
Pickles was taken to Veterinary Emergency Group in Brookfield, where x-rays showed a foreign object in his abdomen resembling a pellet, according to the complaint. Surgery was recommended to treat him, and police later confirmed the object was in fact a pellet fired from a pellet gun. The complaint notes that Pickles remained in veterinary care after undergoing the operation.
The cat's owner reportedly told investigators that Birr had a pellet gun he used to shoot at small animals in his backyard. When questioned, Birr allegedly admitted he fired a pellet round toward the cat to get it to leave his yard, but he denied actually hitting the animal. He also said he saw something on the cat before he fired but did not pay much attention to it, the complaint states.
Evidence Allegedly Matched the Weapon
Birr reportedly showed police his pellet gun and pellets, which officers confirmed were the same type as the pellet retrieved from the cat's abdomen. According to the complaint, Birr believed he was allowed to shoot BB and pellet guns in his own backyard, but police told him he could not do so and could not shoot domesticated animals.
A man was charged in connection with the case.
An excerpt of the City of New Berlin code states that firing or discharging a firearm, air rifle or spring gun is prohibited within 100 feet of the city, subject to exceptions.
