Maple Grove Family Dog Shot, Killed by Pellet Gun

Brent Peterson says he was shocked to discover someone had shot his dog with a pellet gun on Saturday. The dog died. Maple Grove Police say it’s illegal to shoot a pellet gun in the city.

A Grim Discovery

Brent Peterson returned home with his family on Saturday night and noticed one of the family’s dogs was missing. The dog, named Eli, was a rescue dog and had been in the family for more than ten years. Peterson found the dog injured in the backyard and took him to the vet, not realizing he’d been shot by a pellet gun.

“I knew he had lost a lot of blood,” says Peterson. “It crossed my mind that somebody might have shot him, but you dismiss that because of the area we live in. It’s not a reality.”

The dog died, and Peterson contacted police.

Shooting a Pellet Gun in City Limits is Illegal

Maple Grove Police say anyone with information connected to this case should call them. They don’t know who shot the dog, or why, but it is illegal to shoot a pellet gun in city limits.

“It’s a misdemeanor to shoot a pellet gun in the city of Maple Grove,” says Capt. Adam Lindquist. “It could be enhanced to a felony if we find out someone shot to harm this dog or kill this dog.”

Lindquist says cases of a dog being shot in city limits are extremely rare.

A similar crime did happen a little over a year ago in Plymouth. People donated five thousand dollars to a GoFundMe account as reward money for information about who shot and killed a dog named Porter with a pellet gun. The Docken family says on the page that they donated the money to a charity in Porter’s name after leads dried up. Plymouth Police did not make any arrests in the case.

Maple Grove | Plymouth