Dog shot in home invasion
Staten Island, NY (US)Incident Date: Saturday, Mar 31, 2012
County: Richmond
Disposition: Open
Case Images: 1 files available
Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!
There's a dog that took a bullet, possibly saving his owner's life. And surprisingly, the 12-year-old pit bull shot in the head survived.
The pit bull named "Kilo" was off to the vet Wednesday for a check-up, after taking a bullet for his owner, Justin Becker.
"He's a hero. He saved my life. He went to protect me and he did his job," Becker told CBS 2′s John Slattery.
Even Dr. Greg Panarello, the veterinarian who treated the dog, was impressed.
"Incredibly lucky. Incredibly lucky," Panarello said.
It happened Saturday evening in Becker's apartment house in the Graniteville section of Staten Island. A gunman, posing as a FedEx deliveryman, wearing a uniform, rang the bell and said he had a package, but then pushed his way into the apartment.
"He barged in. My first reaction after seeing the gun is push him out, so I pushed him to the door. Like I said, he fell like wedged right by the door. I slammed him inside the door and he was stuck and tried to get out now because he was getting crushed," Becker said.
His girlfriend has been holding the dog and let go.
"I was shocked and I was terrified," Nicole Percoco said.
The dog went after the gunman.
"Now Kilo came out to protect me. Grrr, he tried to come through the door at the guy, his head was out. Grrr, then I heard the guy, three gunshots," Becker said.
One of the shots hit the dog in the head.
"It did ricochet off the skull and went straight down and exited at the neck," Dr. Panarello said.
The vet staff put a superhero insignia on this bandage. Kilo was up and around Wednesday, going for walks just three days after being shot.
"I think it's amazing. He saved my life," Becker said.
You've heard of a cat with nine lives. Kilo seems well on his way. References |
