The northwest valley in Las Vegas became the scene of a vicious dog murder earlier this month. Leo was a pit bull and this begs the question whether his breed didn’t play a part in the “rational” of the shooter.
“He was a pit bull, but he was very lovable,” said Tom Fossum, the dog’s owner.
“He was the most affectionate dog. My best friend. My partner.”
The unfortunate event happened earlier this month, outside of Rhoades Elementary. Fossum still remembers the situation – he and Leo were just walking when they crossed paths with a man who was walking his black lab.
“My dog sensed there was another dog, and he went running towards him, and they got into a growling confrontation,” Fossum said.
Fossum says that he quickly stepped in between the two dogs to break off the growling and the situation was under control. Or so he thought at the time.
“All I saw was a gun, and in a split second, the gun went off and shot my dog, and killed him instantly,” Fossum said. The shot was near Leo’s back leg but it killed him instantly.
“There was no reason for this to happen because there was nobody in harm’s way,” Fossum said.
Fossum started asking the man why he did it but didn’t get a proper response.
“All he said was call 911,” Fossum said. “I kept trying to ask him ‘why would you do this?’ He said just call 911.”
Animal Control, LVMPD, and the Clark County School Police Department were quick to arrive to the scene. As the officers filed the report, they found out that the shooter had a permit for carrying a gun. Currently, Fossum is waiting for the district attorney to make a decision on whether and what charges will be filed.
“I want justice for the dog. Leo was a great dog,” he said. Fossum also adds that he feels lucky that he himself wasn’t shot and that he has trouble sleeping after the event. Since then, he has posted over 100 flyers all around Rhoades elementary, warning people about the shooter.
“I want people to be aware: where ever you live, there might be a person out there that may do this,” Fossum said.
