A Hamden man faces animal cruelty charges for caging raccoons and then shooting them. Police say he not only broke the law, he put his neighbors at risk. Hamden police say John Hegedus, 87, was fed up over raccoons stealing cat food so he trapped and shot them with a .22 caliber rifle.
Police say they knocked on the front door several times and no one answered so they went around the side, and when police got there they say the man fired off a round. Police say they were right behind the raccoon and could've been hit.
"We found the raccoon bleeding to death in a crate," Hamden animal control officer Gina Cahill said. "It was alert and alive, bleeding from the head suffering and squealing."
Animal control officers had the raccoon euthanized. Police charged Hegedus with cruelty to animals, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and risk of injury.
"You have muzzle velocities of about 900 feet per second. A projectile could ricochet off a hard object, go anywhere. It's a very dangerous thing to do," says Lt. John Lujick, Hamden police.
"I have a little brother, there's kids all around the neighborhood, there's kids that live right next door, so I mean, you know, say if the bullet did ricochet or something, something could've happened so he deserved what he gets," says Jeremy Cordero.
Police think Hegedus had been at this for a while. He even reportedly bragged to a woman that he's bagged 18 and 20 pounders.
The charges against Hegedus include two felonies. A judge released him on a promise to appear in court later this month. Neighborhood MapFor more information about the Interactive Animal Cruelty Maps, see the map notes.
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