Officers were called to a report of a dog in the area of 820 Wethersfield Ave. around 8:20 p.m. Upon arrival, officers located a dog suffering from a gunshot wound to the jaw.
Police said they quickly put the dog into a cruiser and then, rushed to the animal to the New England Veterinary Center for "emergency medical attention." The dog was in "stable condition" and will require surgery, police said.
Detectives from the Focused Violence Reduction Team FVRT were called to the scene and determined that the suspect in the case was Hartford resident Tyshawn Virtue.
Virtue was located in the apartment on Wethersfield Avenue and officers seized 34 live 9mm rounds and a Safeguard bulletproof vest. Detectives recovered video surveillance footage of the shooting and seized a Hi Point Model C9 semi-automatic firearm containing five live 9mm rounds in a nearby wooded area.
Police said the Hi Point Model C9 semi-automatic firearm "was determined to have been discarded by Virtue after the shooting" and "believed the suspect shot the dog due to anger over the domestic dispute."
Virtue has previous firearm-related felony convictions.
He is charged with Criminal Possession Firearm, Criminal Possession Ammunition, Criminal Possession Body Armor, Carrying a Pistol without a Permit, Unlawful Discharge of a Firearm, Reckless Endangerment, Cruelty to Animals, Risk of Injury, and Violation of a Protective Order. He is was held on a $500,000 bond.
Virtue is expected to appear in Hartford Superior Court on Monday.
(WFSB - Oct 29, 2017)