CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) – Police, while responding to reports of gunshots, found a dead dog and a passed out owner in a Clearwater backyard. When the cops showed up they found 47 year-old Yuriy Solovyev face down in the grass. A deceased 9-year-old chow was not far from the man.
"Hey, why shoot me? Why take out your problems on me?"
Police learned Solovyev had an argument with his wife earlier and she left the house. He began drinking and became extremely intoxicated, and eventually turned the gun on the pup.
The dog was shot multiple times, killing the animal. Additionally, a bullet ricocheted off of Solovyev’s fence and went through a neighbor’s window. No one else was injured.
When police found Solovyev in his back yard, it appears he was in the process of burying the deceased dog, when he passed out. Solovyev was taken into custody and was transported to a local hospital for medical evaluation due to his high level of intoxication. He will be charged with felony animal cruelty and improper discharge of a firearm.
