Southington police have arrested a Bristol woman in connection with the death of a dog in August and said they have a warrant for a Waterbury man as well.
The investigation started on Aug. 17, when the dog’s owner told police that she found her 7-year-old pit bull dead inside her home.
Police said it was initially suspected the dog might have been attacked by another dog, but then a family member, Karenlynne Gatling, 24, of Bristol, said that an acquaintance, Maurice “Mo” McElrath, 43, of Waterbury, had shot the dog after it came out of a pet door, barking.
According to police, McElrath shot the dog and Gatling knew the dog was injured but did not contact anyone for help.
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Police said Gatling had spent the night at the Southington home and was still there after the residents left for the day.
Later in the day, she sent a text saying she was leaving.
When the dog’s owner returned a few hours later, she found blood leading from the back deck into the house and into her bedroom, where she found the dog dead.
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Police said Gatling confirmed that the dog had been shot and she had left the home without calling the dog's owner or police for assistance.
She initially would not say who had shot the dog, but investigators learned that McElrath, a friend, had done it, police said.
Gatling would tell police that McElrath arrived to pick her up. When she went outside, McElrath said, "Yo, I think I shot your dog," police said.
Then, Gatling said, she went back inside and found the dog injured, so she got a washcloth to apply pressure to the wound, then decided to leave the house to make it appear the incident occurred after she was gone, according to police.
They said Gatling declined to cooperate with investigators after their initial contact.
A necropsy determined that the dog’s death was "consistent with the clinical findings of a suspected gunshot wound," police said.
They said McElrath refused to provide a statement to Investigators.
Investigators determined that Gatling knew the dog was shot and needed medical attention but left without contacting the dog's owner or emergency professionals to assist, according to a news release from police.
She was charged with cruelty to animals and she was taken into custody on Thursday.
She was released on a $2,500 and is due to appear in New Britain Superior Court on Dec. 14.
Police said a warrant has been issued charging McElrath with cruelty to animals, criminal possession of a pistol or revolver and unlawful discharge of firearms.
He is incarcerated and the warrant will be charged during his next court appearance.
