PENNSYLVANIA -- A Nazareth man shot and killed a dog Friday, claiming it was self-defense after the dog had attacked him and his son earlier in the day, police said.
The dog -- a Rottweiler, pit bull and St. Bernard mix named Scamp -- had bitten David Gosnell Sr. and his son, David Gosnell Jr., outside their Heckman Drive home about 5:15 Friday evening, police said.
Scamp was snared and taken to the Nazareth Borough Police Department's kennel. However, police said the dog somehow escaped the kennel and went back to Heckman Drive about 8:30 that night.
Gosnell Sr., 49, then shot the dog with a Winchester 3030 rifle, according to police documents. Police recovered the gun on his front porch shortly afterward.
"I shot that dog out of self-defense," Gosnell Sr. said when police arrived, according to the documents.
Efforts to reach Denise Dennis, Scamp's owner who also lives on Heckman Drive, were not successful. Gosnell did not immediately respond to a phone message for comment.
Gosnell Sr. has been charged with discharging a firearm, which violates the borough ordinance, Nazareth police Chief Thomas Trachta said.
The incident remains under investigation and it is unclear how the dog escaped the kennel.
Earlier in the day, Gosnell Sr. was bit on the right hand, and Gosnell Jr., 21, suffered several injuries when he tried to separate the dog and his father, police said.
(Express Times - June 13, 2011)
