Aug. 28—A man has been arrested after allegedly picking up a dog by the neck during an argument and shooting it in the back, killing it instantly.
Justin Leverette, 31, of Albuquerque, is charged with six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and two counts of extreme animal cruelty. He does not currently have an attorney.
On Tuesday, an officer was dispatched to the 300 block of Cagua NE, near San Pedro, after receiving a call that a man had shot a dog and fled the scene.
After arriving, the officer saw two dead dogs and shell casings in the street. A woman told police that Leverette shot one of the dogs and ran over another during an altercation, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.
The woman told police her two sons had gotten into an argument with her daughter’s boyfriend in the driveway after the brothers told Leverette he was not treating their sister right, police said. The man left the house before returning later and arguing with the brothers.
Leverette said he would “call his homies” and “kill your brother.” According to the brothers, Leverette had been dealing drugs at the apartment complex where the family lived, the complaint states.
While the men were arguing, the brothers’ dog approached the vehicle Leverette was in, police said. Leverette grabbed a handgun from his vehicle and pointed the firearm at the brothers before grabbing the dog and shooting it in the back.
The brothers’ second dog walked up to the vehicle, and Leverette hit the dog with his vehicle before driving down the street. Both dogs died from their injuries, the complaint states.
Leverette also allegedly leaned out of the vehicle and fired multiple gunshots toward the brothers before fleeing. Leverette was on active parole for robbery and shooting from a vehicle in 2021.