Police investigating after San Antonio family's dogs shot, 1 killed, while out for run

Jaws and Zeus, father and son, were allegedly shot by a neighbor while out for a run Friday evening in North Central San Antonio. Jaws, shown here with owner Amanda Espinosa, sustained a shot to the nose and survived. Zeus was shot four to six times in the torso and died at the scene. less Jaws and Zeus, father and son, were allegedly shot by a neighbor while out for a run Friday evening in North Central San Antonio. Jaws, shown here with owner Amanda Espinosa, sustained a shot to the nose and ... more Photo: Courtesy Of Amanda Espinosa Photo: Courtesy Of Amanda Espinosa Image 1 of / 54 Caption Close Police investigating after San Antonio family's dogs shot, 1 killed, while out for run 1 / 54 Back to Gallery

A San Antonio man is accused of shooting two pit bulls on the city's North Side Friday evening after the dogs allegedly mauled his cat to death.

Victor Senon Valdez, the 38-year-old cat owner, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of animal cruelty following the attack, police said.

Jaws, the older dog who was turning six that day, sustained a bullet to the nose. He was taken to VCA Becker Animal Hospital and Pet Resort for treatment and is now recovering at home, though the bullet is still lodged in his body, said his owner, Amanda Espinosa. Jaws' son, Zeus, who was nearly two years old, was shot four to six times and died at the scene, Espinosa said.

"It was a very horrible day," Espinosa told mySA.com, describing it as "dealing with the death of a family member, basically."

Valdez could not be reached for comment.

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For the past two years, Espinosa's good friend and dog walker has been taking her dogs on runs daily, typically along the same route, Espinosa said.

In Espinosa's five years living in the area, neighbors had never complained about the dogs, and neither of the animals had hurt an animal or a person, Espinosa said.

On Friday evening, the dog walker was riding his bike while Jaws and Zeus ran beside him off-leash, according to the police report. Shortly before 6 p.m. near the corner of Schmeltzer Lane and Allena Drive, the two dogs spotted a cat, ran toward it, and mauled it, right outside the cat's home, the dog walker told police.

Valdez walked outside his home and asked if the dogs had killed his cat. The dog walker confirmed they had. Valdez then pulled out a gun and pointed it at the dog walker, according to police.

"I'll (expletive) shoot you and those dogs," he allegedly said, before firing the gun multiple times at the animals. The dog walker stepped back, later telling the police he felt his life was in danger.

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Jaws was shot in the nose and ran off, leaving a bloody trail, Espinosa said. Zeus was shot multiple times in the torso area while several witnesses — including a young girl — watched, Espinosa said. The dog walker ran off and found Jaws, and neighbors took them both to the animal hospital.

"My dog walker wasn't being aggressive with the owner at all. There was no anger, no argument, no nothing. It was out of nowhere," Espinosa said. "These dogs are not violent, they're not aggressive. I get it: they're pit bulls and they have a stereotype to go with them. But at the same time, what happened was uncalled for."

Valdez told police he shot the dogs while his pet cat was being mauled in order to save his pet. Witnesses told officers they didn't know whether or not the dogs had killed the cat, but when the cat's owner pulled a gun on them, they were "not actively mauling the cat and (the witnesses) felt the threat of the dogs was not present," according to the police report.

Witnesses still on scene told Espinosa Valdez had picked up Zeus from the street and laid him on his own property, she said. A neighbor called 911 and police were dispatched to the area for a shooting. By the time Espinosa arrived on scene, police were investigating and would not allow her to see Zeus, she said.

Espinosa said neither she nor the neighbors she spoke with had met the man with the gun.

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In the days since, Espinosa has been trying to care for Jaws. She didn't have enough money to leave him at the animal hospital, so she's treating him on her own, she said. He's having trouble breathing, but is otherwise in stable condition.

"He's trying to do things like he normally does, but of course he has restrictions so it's kind of hard," she said. "He's a little depressed because he knows his fun is not allowed any more."

She’s raising money through a GoFundMe campaign in the hopes of removing the bullet that’s still lodged in his body.

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She told her two young daughters that one of their dogs ran away and the other was hit by a car, she said. She's still trying to figure out how to explain the blood-trail left by Jaws.

Her words to other dog owners? Leash your dogs.

"I know it's wrong to have them off leashes and I regret not having them on the leash," Espinosa said. "People should not think that the city's being a little bit too dramatic about the leash law because it's not just for (the dogs') own good, but it's for their owners good because otherwise you have to deal with something like this. It's not a good feeling, and if I'd just had them on leashes maybe this wouldn't have happened. Maybe."

Warning: graphic photo included in gallery above.

S. M. Chavey is a staff writer for mySA.com. Read more of her stories here. | sarah.chavey@express-news.net | 210-250-3122 | Twitter: @smchavey