JACKSON, MS -- A woman who told police she was shooting at a pit bull ended up fatally wounding her husband Friday afternoon outside their south Jackson home.
Betty Walker fired twice with a .38-caliber revolver, with one of the bullets striking her husband, Robert Walker, 53, in the chest. He was pronounced dead less than two hours later at a hospital.
The white 8-month-old pit bull, known as "Cocaine," was wounded in his left front leg. He was picked up by animal control officers.
Police said the shooting at 3:19 p.m. in the 2100 block of Oakhurst Drive appears to be accidental, and whether the wife will face charges will be left up to a Hinds County grand jury.
The dog's owner could be facing charges, police spokeswoman Colendula Green said.
Green said witnesses told police the dog "lunged and tried to attack some children" and Betty Walker pulled out the gun and fired.
However, Robert Ferguson, 19, questioned whether the dog acted in such a manner because he said the dog isn't aggressive. Ferguson said he is a cousin of the dog's owner.
The dog has been kept in a pen in a fenced back yard, Ferguson said. And whenever he is out, "we keep the dog on a leash," he said. "We don't know how he got out."
Ferguson said he and others at his home heard a gunshot and came out.
They saw a man being placed on the tailgate of a pickup apparently about to be taken to the hospital before police and ambulance personnel arrived.
"This is just an unfortunate situation," Ferguson said. "I don't see why she would shoot the dog."
Cynthia Wheat, who lives in the neighborhood, said the pit bull once had come up behind her as she was walking in the neighborhood, but she shooed him away and he didn't try to bite her.
Wheat said she heard a popping sound Friday afternoon and then saw the commotion from the shooting. Based on how Betty Walker looked, Wheat said the shooting appeared to be an accident.
"From all appearances, she appeared heartbroken," Wheat said of Betty Walker, who shot her husband.
(Clarion Ledger - July 15, 2011)
