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Woman calls for justice after hunter shoots dog on her property; mistakes dog for coyote

She says it was her dog Karo an all-black German shepherd who was shot and killed earlier this week.

VERNON, Conn. — A woman is calling for justice after she says, someone shot her dog while hunting in the nearby woods.  

“What was done should’ve never been done at 4:30 in the afternoon shooting somebody’s pet,” said Belleann Maffessoli. 

Maffessoli says it was her dog Karo an all-black German shepherd who was shot and killed earlier this week.

Mafessoli says she let Karo go out like she normally does but when she went to call his name, no answer and that’s when she says things got scary.  

“And I say two minutes later, and I heard a gunshot and I can hear it was out deep into the woods didn’t settle right with me,” said Maffessoli. 

So, for two nights she searched with her husband and family until Thursday Karo was found, shot dead.  

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Maffessoli said, “I was devastated I fell to the ground I felt like my heart was ripped out of me.” 

Maffesoli says from there her husband found the man who shot her dog.  

Vernon police nor DEEP have filed charges but say, “Upon investigation, it appears the dog was accidentally shot by someone hunting on their property who mistook the dog for a coyote.” 

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Maffessoli says she still wants justice but for any gun owner to be careful when handling a firearm.  

“Safety is number one, you don’t just shoot at anything, you have to know what you're doing,” said Maffessoli. 

Vernon Police are still investigating the incident.  

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