Pit bull puppy dies after being shot in Murfreesboro

Police in Murfreesboro responded to what they thought was a case of dog fighting, but it turns out a family pet had been shot.

The pit bull puppy named Rocco died. He was only 9 months old and its owner said he was never aggressive to anyone.

The owner was too emotional to talk on camera but told News 2 the family is upset about this.

Rocco loved playing with her 14-year-old son, who has autism.

“People are just cruel,” said bus driver Rachel Henderson, who saw Rocco with other dogs.

On Friday, Henderson said when she got to her bus stop on Cypress Street on Friday none of the children were there. They were apparently afraid when they saw Rocco and another dog staying nearby at a church.

“When they told me they were scared and I could tell that some of the parents of the kindergartener’s kids were scared too, I called it in,” Henderson said.

But before police could arrive, the bus driver heard something else.

“I heard them screaming and saying, ‘No don’t do it,’ so I guess I knew something bad was fixing to happen,” Henderson told News 2.

Rocco had been shot, but who did it is still a mystery.

The dog’s owner says the screen door is broken so that’s how Rocco got out; she says she heard the gun shot but didn’t pay it any attention.

A policeman took the dog to Rutherford County PAWS where he died.

“It’s very disheartened that it didn’t survive,” said PAWS director Michael Greggory.

Animal Control officers are trying to figure out if the shooting was intentional or not.

“Without the information on kind of more what occurred and what not, we can’t say for sure if it was justified or not,” Greggor said.

The bus driver said the dogs didn’t appear to be aggressive.

“They were very calm and mild mannered, you know I can’t see them hurting anyone,” Henderson said.

PAWS said the investigation is on hold, but they are hoping someone who sees this story and have information will come forward.

Courtesy of WKRN News 2