Oregon: George Bainbridge claims self-defense after shooting, killing rescue pig with two arrows

OREGON -- A St. Helens man tells Fox 12 he acted in self-defense when he shot a neighbor’s 900-pound rescue pig with two arrows, killing it.

It happened Monday morning at the Baxter Potbelly Pig and Farm Animal Rescue when the pig named “DJ” got onto George Bainbridge’s property.

Bainbridge tells Fox 12 he is an amputee who doesn’t move very quickly and he feared for his safety when he saw the pig.

“The thing scared the [expletive] out of me. I stand in my backyard and I shoot archery as a hobby and there it was, okay, about 40 feet from me, and I shot it. That’s why,” Bainbridge said. “People get eaten by hogs, okay? I know a 74-year-old farmer that got eaten by his beloved hogs, okay?”

PROOF THAT BAINBRIDGE IS A LIAR
He said he shot DJ as the pig was coming at him,
trying to attack him. This arrow shows that he
shot DJ while DJ wasn't even looking at him,
certainly not charging towards him

The owner of the animal rescue, Michelle Fudge-Snow, says she’s devastated.

“I come home and he says, ‘Well your pigs dug up my backyard again,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh no, which one?’ and he’s like, ‘It’s the one with two arrows in it,’” Fudge-Snow said.

She found DJ badly wounded but still alive back on her property. She says he lived for a few hours, but there was nothing the veterinarian could do.

“He was shaking, he was in so much pain,” she said. “His life should have mattered and to take his life that easily, it’s just not right. He meant the world to us.”

Bainbridge and Fudge-Snow share a daughter together and both admit they have a history of disputes going back several years.

Bainbridge claims Fudge-Snow’s animals have damaged his property before and she neglects to maintain a fence between their two properties.

“This whole thing is about an animal owner not containing her animals, not abiding by the law like everyone needs to,” Bainbridge said. “She’s never once tried to repair the damage that her animals do and I’ve never taken her to court but this time I’m going to.”

Meanwhile, Fudge-Snow says Bainbridge has a history of erratic behavior toward her and her family and has killed other animals from her rescue farm in the past.

“I think he has a strong dislike for me. I think he’s a psychopath. I think with everything he’s done to us this is normal,” Fudge-Snow said. “I don’t think he’s all there.”

Investigators from the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office say they will turn the case over to the District Attorney’s office to determine whether animal abuse charges will be filed.

“In animal cases there’s usually a lot of emotions, especially when things get on social media,” animal control investigator and CCSO Deputy Roger Kadell said. “People need to understand we are investigating it, we do take it seriously and we’ll do what we can on this case.”

(KPTV - Feb 12, 2017)