UPDATE: Deputies say the dog, Chappo, was kept overnight for observation but is allowed to come home and is expected to be fine. The veterinarian found an entry wound near his nose and an exit wound near his mouth/cheek.
Earlier reporting below.
DeBary, FL - Volusia deputies arrest a DeBary man after he shot the family dog while children were just one room away.
The Volusia Sheriff's Office (VSO) arrested 34-year-old Steven Parsons around 9:30 Thursday night (September 9). According to deputies, the shooting stems from a domestic disturbance where Parsons' girlfriend began hiding his guns from him because he was intoxicated and made a comment about using them on himself. Parsons became aggressive after his girlfriend hid the guns, so the girlfriend left the home to get away from him, per a report from deputies.
Deputies entered the home after the shooting to check on the safety of two children—an 8-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl—who were uninjured but upset. Law enforcement then noticed blood throughout the house. Moments later, deputies were greeted by a pit bull mix, who came around a corner bleeding heavily with an apparent gunshot wound between the eyes. Deputies say the dog was walking around and wagging its tail, seemingly stable and alert despite the injury.
Parsons told deputies he shot the dog because the dog bit him. His girlfriend later told deputies the dog is protective of her and bit Parsons on the hand because he was yelling. Deputies then found a spent round inside the bathroom where the shooting occurred. They determined that only thin drywall separated the bathroom from the bedroom where the children were at the time of the shooting.
After completing a temporary risk protection order for the seizure of his weapons, Parsons was taken to AdventHealth Fish Memorial in Orange City for treatment. He was then taken to the Volusia County Branch Jail and remains in custody on no bond, charged with animal cruelty, child abuse and shooting into a dwelling.
The dog was taken by the girlfriend to an emergency animal clinic in Daytona Beach for treatment. The dog's status as of Friday morning (September 10) is not known at this time.
