WASHINGTON, Pa. — A Washington man faces felony charges after police say he shot his dog. Andrew Banner was unable to post his $25,000 bond, so he’s behind bars at the Washington County Jail. Banner told police his dog was sick, so he asked a friend to shoot it, but police say his story didn’t check out.
A Washington neighbor said, “I saw a bunch of cops going up and down the street. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what’s going on?’ and she was like, ‘Yeah, about five minutes ago there was two gunshots,’ and I was like scared.”
The Washington neighbor did not want to be identified, but she is sharing her account of what happened along Broad Street Thursday night.
“The cops pulled up, and they were talking to him. I thought maybe he knew or was giving them information or something,” she said.
Washington police say it was around 9 p.m. last Thursday when someone called about shots fired near a playground. When officers got there, they didn’t find anything, but they did get another 911 call saying that a man who lives along Broad Street had shot a dog and left it lying in his yard.
“It’s sad, it’s terrifying. The gunshots were really scary because I have two little kids,” the neighbor added.
According to the criminal complaint, when Washington Police first questioned Andrew Banner and a woman on the front porch, the couple said they didn’t have a dog. Police say the couple seemed nervous and contradicted themselves.
“There is a dog somewhere around that screams, and it’s scary, and it’s sad, and honestly now it’s probably that house that’s scary,” the neighbor said.
Washington police say a neighbor told them a dog was wrapped in a trash bag and he could hear it whimpering.
“Animals don’t deserve stuff like that. Especially since it was still alive and they put it in a bag - that’s horrible,” she said.
When officers found the bag, they had Banner open it. Inside there was a small white dog with at least one gunshot in the back. Police say the dog was still alive. They rushed it to an emergency vet in Peter’s Township.
Banner admitted the dog was his and told police he had asked a friend to shoot his dog because it was sick. Police say Banner’s version contradicts what neighbors saw after the gunshots were fired. They told police they saw Banner and another man put something on the ground and then go inside. That spot is where police later found the dog.
Channel 11 did ask for an update on how the dog is doing but hasn’t heard back yet. Banner now faces felony animal cruelty charges. He has a preliminary hearing October 6th.
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