2 cats shot and killed Danville, NH (US) Incident Date: Wednesday, Jun 14, 2000 County: Rockingham Local Map: available Disposition: Convicted Abuser/Suspect: David Gosselin

Case ID: 902 Classification: Shooting Animal: cat View more cases in NH (US) Animal was offleash or loose Login to Watch this Case

David Gosselin plead guilty to animal cruelty charges in Plaistow District Court on November 30, 2000.

Gosselin was convicted of 2 counts of a Class A misdemeanor animal cruelty charge, but negotiated a plea through the Rockingham County Attorney's office, plead guilty to 1 count and no contest to the second.

Gosselin was ordered by Judge Peter G. Hurd to pay restitution to Matthew and Tammy Gouin and to Judy Belanger, the neighbors on Spruce Road in Danville, where the shootings took place. Along with a fine and compensations, Gosselin was ordered to jail for 20 days, which was suspended with good behavior for 2 years. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $300 each for the 2 cats. He was also ordered to pay $300 in fines and has a suspended $500 fine hanging over him. Further he was ordered to pay $157 in compensation to the Town of Danville, for the medical treatment of Belanger's cat. Gosselin was also ordered to surrender the weapon used in the cat killings for a 2-year period.

Both cats Grizzly Bear owned by Judy Belanger and Bo, owned by The Gouins were Himalayans.

Gosselin told police that he had been shooting to scare the cats away from his trash. Peter C. Saunders, an agent for the NH SPCA investigated the case and brought the complaint against Gosselin. Saunders stated that "We don't believe he did it to torture the cats, but he definitely intended to kill them." The rifle was a stainless steel, .22 caliber with a telescopic sight for accurate shooting. Gosselin was shooting from as close as 25 feet from the cat.

The Gouin's cat Bo was shot in the chest around 7:30am on June 14, 2000 and died on the Gouin's property. The cat was taken to the Hampstead Animal Hospital for a necropsy, which showed the cat, died of a collapsed lung.

Belangers' cat Bear had been hiding under the bed for several days, a behavior not unusual for the purebred, when Belanger discovered it had been shot in the leg and was severely wounded. Bear was also taken to Hampstead Animal Hospital and euthanized because the wound was so devastating. It is believed Bear suffered for 3 days.

Gosselin has 2 cats of his own, which left investigators at a loss to explain his motives for the shootings.

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The Rockingham News

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