‘Cold-hearted criminal’ kills man’s dog in armed robbery attempt

TAMPA BAY, Fla. (Gray News) - Police in Florida say a 17-year-old has been arrested after shooting and killing a dog during an attempted robbery.

According to the Tampa Police Department, 17-year-old Jayden Makell Harris approached a man walking his dogs in a neighborhood on Oct. 28 around 7 p.m.

Police said Harris showed a gun to the man and demanded money. During the incident, the 17-year-old fired several shots that struck both dogs.

According to the police department, the man grabbed his dogs and ran but Harris ended up chasing him, shooting two more times in the man’s direction.

Police said when the man returned home, he found one of his dogs badly hurt from the shooting. He took the dog, a dachshund, to an emergency veterinarian, but the dog died.

Tampa police said they used surveillance video and a composite sketch to identify Harris.

According to authorities, the 17-year-old was in an SUV circling the neighborhood before the robbery attempt. The victim identified Harris as the shooter when police said they showed him a picture of the teen.

About 2.5 hours after the shooting, police said they were able to locate Harris and take him into custody.

The department said the 17-year-old is believed to be linked to other robberies in Hillsborough County. Harris is facing multiple charges, including felony aggravated assault, robbery with a firearm and aggravated cruelty to animals.

“We took a cold-hearted criminal off our Tampa streets,” Police Chief Mary O’Connor said. “This suspect took the life of a dog, and he likely would have taken the life of its owner had the bullets not narrowly missed him.”