MCCUNE, KAN -
A small-town mayor faces felony charges after he shot and killed a neighbor's dog with a high-powered rifle.
But McCune, Kansas, Mayor Don Call says he has no regrets, despite now facing felony charges over the incident.
Many in town support his action. But, the dog owner is furious and the sheriff says there's no way this shooting was justified.
"I told the guy on January 12 that if they were running loose again, I was going to shoot them," said Mayor Call.
Mayor Call took the law into his own hands because previous complaints to the sheriff did no good.
"They were ripping through the screen trying to get to us," said Joshua Gomez.
The Gomez brothers say there were walking home Sunday when the neighbor's two dogs, a German shepard and a mixed breed came after them. Their parents called the mayor.
"I believe the mayor was justified, yes, wholeheartedly," said Kim Gomez.
"The dogs are still loose. They was lying on the sidewalk on the front of the house," said the mayor. "I shot them with a 9mm rifle...five or six times."
The dog's owner, Duane Wahl, said his dogs never bothered anyone.
"They weren't vicious dogs. They don't bite people," said Wahl.
Duane said they were chained up when the mayor drove up and shot them dead from his car window.
"Just not right to do it, I mean they were in my yard, you can see the blood. I mean they were right here in my yard," said Wahl.
"A witness says he drove around the block, shot a few more rounds, drove around a third time, came back and shot a few more times," said Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton.
Sheriff Sandy Horton says the dogs were a threat to no one when he says they were shot at least seven times.
"A 9mm rifle, the bullets are going to travel a long way, and shooting that many rounds inside a community is to me, going a lot overboard," said Sheriff Horton.
When we asked the mayor if he regretted the shooting. He said, "No, I don't they needed to be disposed of."
The Crawford County Prosecutor said he's decided to charge the mayor with two counts of animal cruelty and one count of criminal discharge of a weapon. The mayor could be arrested soon.
But McCune, Kansas, Mayor Don Call says he has no regrets, despite now facing felony charges over the incident.
Many in town support his action. But, the dog owner is furious and the sheriff says there's no way this shooting was justified.
"I told the guy on January 12 that if they were running loose again, I was going to shoot them," said Mayor Call.
Mayor Call took the law into his own hands because previous complaints to the sheriff did no good.
"They were ripping through the screen trying to get to us," said Joshua Gomez.
The Gomez brothers say there were walking home Sunday when the neighbor's two dogs, a German shepard and a mixed breed came after them. Their parents called the mayor.
"I believe the mayor was justified, yes, wholeheartedly," said Kim Gomez.
"The dogs are still loose. They was lying on the sidewalk on the front of the house," said the mayor. "I shot them with a 9mm rifle...five or six times."
The dog's owner, Duane Wahl, said his dogs never bothered anyone.
"They weren't vicious dogs. They don't bite people," said Wahl.
Duane said they were chained up when the mayor drove up and shot them dead from his car window.
"Just not right to do it, I mean they were in my yard, you can see the blood. I mean they were right here in my yard," said Wahl.
"A witness says he drove around the block, shot a few more rounds, drove around a third time, came back and shot a few more times," said Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton.
Sheriff Sandy Horton says the dogs were a threat to no one when he says they were shot at least seven times.
"A 9mm rifle, the bullets are going to travel a long way, and shooting that many rounds inside a community is to me, going a lot overboard," said Sheriff Horton.
When we asked the mayor if he regretted the shooting. He said, "No, I don't they needed to be disposed of."
The Crawford County Prosecutor said he's decided to charge the mayor with two counts of animal cruelty and one count of criminal discharge of a weapon. The mayor could be arrested soon.
