Dog recovers after being shot during home robbery
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — An Indianapolis man described a terrifying experience: He woke up to find intruders in his home on the southeast side.
The intruders also shot the family’s dog. The dog was recovering at an animal hospital Wednesday night.
It happened early Wednesday morning at a home near Olive and Murry streets.
The victim told 24-Hour News 8 he and his brother had just moved into the neighborhood about a month ago and believe this may have been a crime of opportunity.
The two suspects covered their faces with bandanas and barged into their rooms before shooting their pit bull terrier.
Jeremiah Lakstins can’t believe what happened to him and his brother around 3 a.m.
“I woke up to somebody in my room. I started to get up, and they said, ‘Lay back down.’ I thought it was a dream, so I laid back down. After hearing some commotions in my brother’s room, I realized we were being robbed,” he said.
Lakstins said the suspect went through everything in his room and told him to look away.
“‘Lay back down, don’t look at me, turn around,’ that a few times,” he said. “So I just put my face on my mattress and waited it out.”
The whole ordeal lasted for about 10 to 15 minutes.
“After they left, I got out of my room and went to see my brother and the first thing he said was is Zane dead?” he said.
Zane is their 1-year-old black pit bull terrier, described as loving, playful and full of energy.
Lakstins said Zane was staying with his brother in the other room when the suspect came into the room with a gun. The suspect saw the dog and shot him.
“It hit me that our dog might not be OK, and I noticed blood on the ground and blood on the floor and the dog wasn’t anywhere in the house,” he said.
Lakstins believed Zane took off running through the open back door after the shooting.
“A few officers found Zane just a few houses down. He was curled up just trying to hide, not moving too much. My brother picked him up and we took him to the vet,” he said.
Lakstins and his brother didn’t know if Zane was going to be OK.
“They said that it’s possible it only hit some subcutaneous tissues. They didn’t see any organs too badly damage,” he said. “But they gave him a lot of fluids. They said he’s a really good boy and he’s handling it all really well, so i think he’s going to pull through.”
Zane is expected to make a full recovery, but will most likely need surgery.
As for the investigation, the victim said he thinks the suspects may have gotten in through an unlocked back door and got away with a laptop, a cellphone and a PlayStation 4.
If you have any information that can help police with the investigation please call Crime Stoppers (317) 262-8477.
