What started as a normal day for a central Phoenix family turned into something they describe as a nightmare. Spirit, an emotional-support dog, was found shot inside her owner’s apartment in mid-April and later died, leaving relatives searching for answers and struggling with the sudden loss.
Family members say they went to the home of Phoenix resident Shoun Reis on April 14 and immediately saw blood on the living-room floor. Spirit was nearby, suffering from a gunshot wound to the neck. Relatives rushed to get help, but the dog did not survive, and the family says the killing has devastated the household as investigators work to figure out what happened.
How The Family Says It Unfolded
According to The Arizona Republic, Reis returned to his central Phoenix apartment and found Spirit on the living-room floor, bleeding from the neck. The outlet reports the dog was shot and taken for emergency veterinary care but did not survive. Relatives told the paper that Spirit was trained to help with Reis’s emotional-health needs and that losing the animal has deeply shaken the family.
Not An Isolated Problem In Phoenix
This case lands in the middle of a string of troubling pet shootings inside apartments in the city. A separate report on a north Phoenix dog shooting described an April 16 incident in which police said officers recovered shell casings and a handgun after finding a dog that had been shot inside a unit. Local advocates say episodes like these highlight the dangers to both people and animals when firearms are discharged in or near homes.
Investigation And Legal Context
Phoenix police say the shooting involving Spirit remains under investigation and that evidence will be turned over to prosecutors for review, according to reporting. Under Arizona law, serious mistreatment or killing of an animal can be charged under A.R.S. § 13-2910, and the unlawful discharge of a firearm within city limits falls under A.R.S. § 13-3107. Together, those statutes give prosecutors room to consider animal-cruelty and weapons-related charges if investigators determine the evidence supports them…