Would-Be Deer Hunter Hits Horses, Dog
Fri Mar 22, 8:13 AM ET
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - A frustrated would-be deer hunter who failed to find his prey shot at penned-in domestic animals instead, killing a registered-breed Arabian horse and wounding a horse and dog, officials said on Thursday.
The suspect, 20-year-old Donald Ray Bussey, was hunting for deer with friends in rural north Florida last October, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said.
He "apparently got frustrated over failing to locate one to shoot. After shooting at street signs, Bussey told his friends that he was going to shoot a live animal," Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said.
As he drove, Bussey allegedly fired a shotgun through the window of his truck, wounding a horse and dog in yards he passed. He then climbed into the back of the truck and fired a bow and arrow at an Arabian gelding, killing it, Bronson said.
Bussey was arrested on Thursday on two counts of animal cruelty, two counts of criminal trespassing and one count of killing a registered breed -- for the Arabian, a swift and intelligent breed valued by horse-racers. The last charge is the most serious and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, agriculture department spokesman Terence McElroy said.
Fri Mar 22, 8:13 AM ET
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - A frustrated would-be deer hunter who failed to find his prey shot at penned-in domestic animals instead, killing a registered-breed Arabian horse and wounding a horse and dog, officials said on Thursday.
The suspect, 20-year-old Donald Ray Bussey, was hunting for deer with friends in rural north Florida last October, the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services said.
He "apparently got frustrated over failing to locate one to shoot. After shooting at street signs, Bussey told his friends that he was going to shoot a live animal," Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson said.
As he drove, Bussey allegedly fired a shotgun through the window of his truck, wounding a horse and dog in yards he passed. He then climbed into the back of the truck and fired a bow and arrow at an Arabian gelding, killing it, Bronson said.
Bussey was arrested on Thursday on two counts of animal cruelty, two counts of criminal trespassing and one count of killing a registered breed -- for the Arabian, a swift and intelligent breed valued by horse-racers. The last charge is the most serious and carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, agriculture department spokesman Terence McElroy said.