COLUMBIA COUNTY, Fla. — A family is in mourning over the loss of their dog, Zena, after they say their neighbor shot and killed her in their front yard.
The Columbia County Sheriff's Office offense report says that on April 7, dog owner Ryan Crosby let his two dogs out to use the bathroom in his yard in the morning. The report says Crosby walked back inside to grab his shoes and drink and as he walked outside, he saw his neighbor, Gordon Scott Paul, walking toward his property with a gun in his hand.
Crosby told the officer he tried to talk to Paul, but was ignored. Crosby says his neighbor approached his dog and shot her twice killing it on Crosby’s property. Crosby told police that his other dog ran under the house to avoid getting shot.
The officer contacted Paul who says he had been having issues with the Crosby's dogs killing his chickens. He said he had concerns that the dogs were chasing his cat and that they were going to kill it. Paul claims that he told Crosby to come get his dogs but was ignored.
Paul told the officer, according to the report, that he grabbed a Smith and Wesson 45 out of his truck, walked into the Crosby’s front yard and shot the dog twice. He told the officer he did not want to shoot the dog in his yard because he was afraid of where the rounds might hit.
Paul said there have been issues with the dogs for the last year and that they have killed 12 of his chickens, the report says. He says that he shot the dog because animal control had failed to address the issue, but the family says that is a lie and animal control was never called.
Paul was charged with cruelty to animals and discharge of a firearm in public. He is set to be arraigned in Columbia County Courthouse on May 19.
The family wants justice for their beloved Zena. Ryan Crosby and his fiance Amanda Bailey started a Facebook group called Justice for Zena to rally support. The group has more than 900 members as of May 6.
