A man faces animal cruelty and aggravated assault charges after police say he threatened two people with a flare gun and shot their dog in the leg.
The two men told deputies 28-year-old Christopher Aquilino pulled an orange flare gun from his pocket and pointed it at them while they were in his home in the 7100 block of Mayfield Street. When one of them fled the home, Aquilino chased him and shot the man’s dog in its hind leg, causing a 1-inch burn.
In an interview with Aquilino’s neighbor, she told deputies she saw Aquilino shoot the dog with the flare gun while standing on his sidewalk. The witness described seeing a bright red flash, hearing a loud bang, and the dog then yelping in pain.
After the shooting, Aquilino was seen walking away from the home with his girlfriend and her daughter.
He was later arrested at an apartment on Binnacle Drive in Port Richey.
