'I never thought my dog would get shot': Puppy killed in front of kids

ATLANTA — Police told Channel 2 Action News they have a key clue they hope will lead them to a man who they said shot and killed a puppy while their children were nearby.

WSB-TV Police gave Channel 2's Audrey Washington a photo of the man they are looking for. They said they want to find him before he can do any more harm.

“I never thought my dog would get shot," said the dog's owner, who didn't want to reveal her identity.

Investigators said the man shot the dog on Sept. 13 in the middle of the day in front of a group of children along Hightower Road in Northwest Atlanta.

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The woman said her stepson and a group of young children were all playing in front of her home with the 5-month-old Labrador retriever puppy named Lady, when the man walked by and told the children to get the dog away from him.

She said he then grabbed the pup by her collar.

The owner told Washington that her puppy collapsed and died.

“It’s very brutal," she said.

Police also sent Washington photos of the suspect and a woman running away from the scene.

WSB-TV They have a picture of a man whom police want to question. They said the man was nearby when the shooting happened.

Austin Woodruff, who lives around the corner from where the shooting took place, said the shooting was plain cruel and reckless.

“I’m a little worried because, next time, it might be a person," Woodruff said.

Cox Media Group