PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — A 19-year-man has been arrested in the shooting 10 days ago of a nearly year-old dog named Boots in the face at a park near Jupiter, the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said Tuesday.
Benjamine Brown surrendered without incident and has been transported to the Palm Beach County Jail to be processed. He faces charges of
inflicting pain/serious physical harm to an animal, carrying a concealed, unlicensed firearm and firing a weapon in a public place.
Boots, a chocolate Lab, sustained a broken jaw and multiple lost teeth. He is recovering and will be be adopted out once he is fully healed.
On Saturday, responded to Kennedy Estates Park, located in the 6800 block of Booker T. Boulevard, around 7:15 p.m. Saturday and found the 10-month-old suffering from a gunshot wound to the snout.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office said a white, four-door Honda Accord with three people inside drove into the park.
The gunman then got back into the Accord and took off toward Indiantown Road, according to a surveillance photo. He was described as 6 feet tall with a tall, thin building. He has short dreadlocked hair with red highlighted tips.
Mutty Paws Rescue offered a $500 reward for tips that lead to an arrest.
The foster-based nonprofit, responded to the call the night of the shooting.
Ashley Miller, president of Mutty Paws Rescue, said it's a miracle Boots survived the shooting as the bullet entered through his snout and exited at the bottom fracturing his lower jaw.
"So he had reconstructive jaw surgery," said Miller. "It was completely shattered. There was bone fragments everywhere and the surgery was very extensive. It lasted 2 1/2 hours. By the time it was done and over with, Dr. (Robert) Kadish was completely exhausted."
