A Danbury family is heartbroken after they say someone on an ATV hit and killed their family dog.
The O’Rourke family says Dusty’s tragic death Wednesday still doesn’t seem real. On Friday they begged the driver to turn himself and they're offering a $500 reward to anyone who has information that leads to the ATV driver’s arrest.
Wednesday just moments before 8 p.m., Dusty was playing on their front lawn on Jackson Drive in Danbury when police say a person on an ATV drove up onto the lawn, hitting and killing the husky-lab mix.
“It’s just so sad. I can’t believe she’s gone. Like literally here one minute and then gone the next. Just ripped from us,” said Danielle O'Rourke.
The O’Rourkes asked NBC Connecticut to show this doorbell video, which shows the raw emotion when they realize Dusty was struck.
“She looked at me and she tried to come up and she couldn’t and she just laid and I literally watched my dog take her last breath and he never looked back,” said Danielle.
As the O’Rourkes and their other dog Mocha try to process life without their pal, they hope the driver turns himself in.
Local
“Would they have done the same thing if it was a person? It very well could have been one of my children out there. This was our yard," said Danielle crying. "What would you have done then? Just left? ”
Or, they hope someone can give police information about the suspect, so the O’Rourkes can continue on with their lives with closure knowing there was justice for Dusty.
“Somebody knows something around this neighborhood," said Tyrone O'Rourke.
You can call Danbury Police Department at 203-797-4614 or email Officer Michael Weaver at m.weaver@danbury-ct.gov.
The O’Rourkes say caring friends and community members have offered to pitch in some additional reward cash to honor Dusty.
