GLEN COVE, NY (CBSNewYork) – Long Island police are looking for the person who shot a cat and left it paralyzed.
On Thursday, CBS2’s Jenna DeAngelis spoke to the animal’s owners and affected community members in Glen Cove.
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“A harmless, harmless animal that cries out for help,” said Michelle Perone.
Perone heard the screams of a helpless cat outside her home in Taft Place after returning from a walk with her family on Tuesday night.
She took the injured cat to her neighbor, a veterinarian.
(Credit: Glen Cove Police Department)
“She told me the horrific news that she had been shot twice by a pistol. That worried me because it is very close to where my child is playing basketball in our garden. My daughter could have been hit by the bullet. I don’t know where it came from, ”said Perone.
They also didn’t know who the 8-pound cat belonged to – until the vet found a microchip that led to the owners.
They had been looking for Gracie, the domestic and free range cat, after failing to come home as usual on Wednesday morning.
“Just awful what you did. It’s not a person, but it’s an animal and it’s part of the family. She loved it out here. When we were walking the dogs with my son, she follows us. She comes with us and the neighborhood knows her as the cat Gracie, ”said owner DJ Hunnicutt.
The Glen Cove Police Department is asking anyone with information to come forward so investigators can find out who shot the helpless animal.
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“First, it’s cruelty to animals. Also, if you shoot a gun in a residential area, people are in danger. Who knows? One of those laps could have gone through a window, hit a pedestrian or a homeowner, ”said Det. Said John Nagel.
Police believe Gracie was shot dead around 7 p.m. on Tuesday
“You should be fully prosecuted. I have babies. I have two twins. You could have been hit by a bullet and killed, ”said Hunnicutt.
One of the bullets was on Gracie’s spine, so it was in the care of a vet. Your family spares no expense.
“She took two bullets. We had to try to give her a chance at life, ”said Hunnicutt.
Gracie is no longer operated on and is stable, but suffered spinal cord damage. The family says they may no longer be able to walk.
Meanwhile, the family hopes the police will catch the shooter to give the community a chance for peace.
Anyone with information is asked to call the police at 516-676-1002 or email tips@glencovepd.org or the Facebook page.
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The family has a GoFundMe to help cover Gracie’s medical bills. For further information, click here.