A Florida man shot and killed his own dog because he was frustrated that his power hadn’t been restored in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey claims John Burgos, 72, began shooting a gun inside his home because he was peeved at Florida Power & Light for not restoring his power, reports The Miami Herald.
Deputies received an emergency call and traveled to Burgos’ house around 4am on October 12 to investigate.
They discovered that Burgos had been firing off his gun in his house and that one of the bullets struck his dog. The animal was taken to a local animal hospital for treatment but ultimately died from its wound.
In a video posted to social media by the sheriff, Ivey said that Burgo allegedly did not call 911 and was drunk when they arrived.
“He was sitting at his house about 4 o’clock in the morning. It was right after Hurricane Milton…He’s all mad because FPL hadn’t gotten to him to turn his power back on. So he starts shooting his gun in the house,” Ivey said. “That’s right. This (man) was shooting his gun in the house and shoots and kills his dog. Now, if that’s not bad enough, he doesn’t immediately call 911.”
He added: “No surprise here, but alcohol was involved in this.”
According to the sheriff, Burgos claimed he wanted to call 911 but could not find his phone. Instead, he went to his neighbor’s house in the middle of the night to ask to use their phone.
Burgos then allegedly returned to his house and sat on his porch trying to help his bleeding dog while first responders traveled to his house.
“This individual is p***** off at FPL, so he shoots and kills his dog,” Ivey said. “He still shows no remorse for what happened. The only thing he said when he was told that his dog had died is, ‘Man, FPL made me do that.’”
The sheriff had little sympathy for Burgos’ complaints.
“You’re an idiot. That’s what made you do this,” Ivey said in the video. “So don’t be blaming other people for you killing your dog…You were mad. You couldn’t control your emotions and you were drunk.”
Burgos was arrested on October 23, and is facing animal cruelty charges, using a firearm under the influence of alcohol, and shooting into a dwelling, according to Ivey.
The incident occurred at a time when more than 3.3 million power customers in Florida were suffering through major power outages caused by Hurricane Milton, which made landfall on October 9, three days before Burgos shot his dog.
