BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A Brevard County man was arrested after deputies say he shot a neighborhood cat, causing injuries that led to the animal’s leg being amputated, according to court documents.
Deputies said that on Nov. 3, a person reported that they believed their neighbor shot a neighborhood cat in the area of Dixie Avenue in Cocoa. However, deputies and neighbors were unable to locate the animal after the incident.
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According to an arrest affidavit, a deputy followed up the next day, looking for witnesses to the alleged event. Another person reported hearing what they thought was a gunshot and later found blood on a fence where the cat, known in the neighborhood as Liam, was seen fleeing.
The witness reported they believed their neighbor, later identified by deputies as Freddie Underwood, 55, was the person they believed shot the cat.
According to the affidavit, deputies interviewed Underwood and he admitted firing his 9mm handgun, but denied shooting the animal, saying, “I was scaring a cat off that’s been scratching my cars up...it was a wild cat that’s around.”
Deputies said that on Nov. 5, animal services officers responded and began looking for the cat. On Nov. 22, Liam was captured by a neighbor and taken to an animal hospital, where veterinarians determined his right rear needed to be amputated due to “severe damage from being shot.”
Investigators later recovered “what appeared to be a shattered bullet” from the cat’s amputated leg, according to the affidavit.
Deputies said Underwood was arrested on Dec. 22 to faces charges of animal cruelty and discharging a firearm in public or residential property. His bond was set at $6,000 and he has since been released, records show.