Owner of Richmond dog shot in drive-by shooting explains decision to surrender

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Around 4 a.m. Tuesday, Apollo was shot in a drive-by shooting on the city’s southside. Richmond Animal Care and Control said on Sunday he’s doing better, but they don’t want to get too excited. His former owners explained their tough decision to give him to the shelter.

“He actually just turned one so he has that puppy spirit,” said Jocelyn Morales, Apollo’s former owner, “he’s a very athletic dog so he’s been getting out a lot but he never goes onto the street.”

Morales says Apollo is an “outside dog," usually kept in a fenced-in area of their yard on Clydewood Avenue.

“The last storm we had, that tree right there actually knocked down," Morales said, “so it knocked down the fence and we haven’t had the chance to really put a tall one up.”

They never thought the worst would happen when the dog escaped. RACC says a black sedan drove by, then reversed the car to drive by again, shooting the dog with a shotgun that left about 25 pellets throughout his body.

“Around here you hear a lot of stuff, so we didn’t think that the contract came from our that close to our house. A neighbor called his dad and said Apollo either got shot or got hit by a car,” said Morales.

When the owners arrived at the vet’s office, they were told a couple of different options.

“Either pay, and his 12-24 hour estimate was $1,500-$3,000, money that we didn’t have, or euthanize him, which I didn’t want to do because if there’s a chance that he would survive, I didn’t want to put him down,” she said.

They were then presented with a third option, to surrender to RACC, which was what they decided.

If you’ll remember last year, Tommie’s Law was signed, upping the penalty for animal cruelty. Animal cruelty is now a felony and up to a five-year prison sentence.

If you may know something about what happened to Apollo, please call Crime Solvers, that number is 804-780-1000.

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