Man accused of shooting 2 bulldogs with BB gun, police report says
A Las Vegas man is accused of seriously injuring two bulldogs by shooting them at close range with a BB rifle.
A Las Vegas police arrest report shows James Nathaniel Clark, 29, was arrested Tuesday in the June 21 shootings of the canines at a residence near North Decatur Boulevard and West Alexander Road. One of the dogs, Fiona, was seriously wounded and suffered internal bleeding.
“The doctor was not certain if the dog would survive the injuries,” police said.
The dog’s owner told police on the day the dogs were shot, he attended a barbecue then returned home to find Fiona having trouble breathing with blood coming out of her mouth and nose. There were two puncture wounds on the dog’s side.
“The only person in the residence prior to (the dog’s owner) returning home was James,” a detective wrote in the arrest report.
BBs deep inside stomach area
Fiona was rushed to the veterinarian where “the doctor discovered BB projectiles were imbedded deep inside of Fiona’s stomach area, chest cavity, the top of the back and mouth,” the report states.
“The BBs were causing an infection that caused further concerns,” police wrote.
The dog underwent surgery. The owner subsequently discovered the second dog, Zoey, had also been shot with a BB gun. The dogs’ owner told police they owned a BB rifle, which had been moved when he attended the barbecue.
Clark denied shooting the dogs. Police said in the arrest report that a witness told them of a prior incident in which a dog Clark was around mysteriously died and was found under a couch. A witness said after the dogs were shot with the BB gun, they observed Clark intoxicated and “detached from the situation and was not concerned, shocked, sad or sincere.”
A criminal complaint has not been filed. Clark was in custody at the Clark County Detention Center as of Friday morning on two counts of willful malicious torture of animals and a violation of probation in a prior criminal case.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
