An innocent young woman and a family dog were struck with bullets after an argument erupted in gunfire in a Boston neighborhood early Thursday.
According to CBS Boston, police are still searching for suspects in the shooting of 18-year-old Dashaye Mizhari, who is now in the intensive care unit. The teenager was reportedly shot three times as she ran for cover.
But officers believe there could have been at least one more person injured if it weren’t for a 10-month-old mastiff mix named Felony.
When Boston police officers arrived on the scene in Dorchester, Massachusetts, the dog’s owner told police the pup jumped in front of him.
“The way I look at it is that dog put himself in front of his owner and took a bullet for him,” Officer David Lanteigne said at a press conference later that day.
After making sure the shooting victim was transported to the hospital by EMS, the cops rushed the dog – which had been shot in his front leg – and his owner to the Angell Animal Medical Center, where they were told Felony would need an expensive surgery.
The dog’s owner said he didn’t have the funds to pay for treatment.
That’s when the three officers decided to step in and split the costs.
Together, Officers Lanteigne, Brian Smith and Sgt. Tommy Brooks put down a credit card to cover the initial cost of $1,545.