LUBBOCK, Texas — The owner of Sonny’s Mart, Kerry Thomason, said the Sinclair Dinosaur was shot on Thursday, but can’t understand why some people can’t leave “Dino” alone.

Dino sits at the corner of Woodrow Road and Slide Road. His owner said he is a popular tourist attraction for people across the Hub City. The large dinosaur greets folks as they stop for gas or a quick bite at Sonny’s Mart.

Use the video player above to watch the impassioned plea by Dino’s owner: “Leave poor Dino alone.”

“People come by and get their pictures taken on him and everybody else,” Thomason said.

“Dino” as he appears normally (Nexstar/Staff)

However, the green brontosaurus has found himself a victim on more than one occasion.

“Some kids drove up and shot poor old Dino with a shot gun probably,” Thomason said.

With the bullet going straight through, Dino couldn’t defend himself as the culprits made their getaway.

“It’s just upsetting,” Thomason said.

This isn’t the first time Dino’s been messed with. In November, he was stolen and thrown into a playa lake with his eyes painted red.

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“They just can’t can’t leave something alone and want to vandalize it or steal it,” Thomason said.

With the help of surveillance video, the thieves were caught, and Thomason said they’ve got video of the shooting as well.

“It’s just a matter of time….We’ll get ’em in here,” Thomason said.

It was an incident Thomason said could have ended a lot worse.

“I mean whoever fired that gun could have hurt somebody. It could have ricocheted back and hit them so it’s just dangerous,” Thomason said.

Thomason said they will leave Dino where he is, and may install more cameras around the area. Thomason said he just wants the dinosaur to continue to be a place for visitors to enjoy.

“Leave poor Dino alone. He’s not hurting anything. He’s just here for everybody’s enjoyment,” Thomason said.