DANIA BEACH, Fla. – A pit bull puppy is dead after deputies say a man shot him and left him to die near a dumpster.
Between 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday, deputies said 51-year-old Franklin Davis shot twice at Diesel, his neighbor's 1-year-old pit bull. One of the bullets injured the puppy, causing him to fall to the ground.
While the dog was bleeding and still breathing, Davis allegedly dragged the him to his truck and disposed of him near a dumpster in a nearby area, leaving him to die, according to the Broward Sheriff's Office.
Davis confessed to deputies he shot the dog with his .38 mm revolver in self-defense and reported that the dog ran away after he was shot.
Deputies said Davis later confessed he disposed of the injured pit bull without contacting police or assisting the dog with medical needs.
The dog was still breathing when Davis dumped him, but eventually died.
Davis told deputies where the dog could be found, but deputies were unable to find him.
However, Hollywood police responded to the area on Pershing Street just before 10 a.m. Sunday in reference to a dead dog. Davis' revolver was found in the area and placed into evidence.
Davis was charged with causing cruel death, pain and suffering to an animal, and discharging a firearm in public.