Scene of the shooting of the quarterhorse Palamino named April. Her colt, Roxy, stands nearby. Photo credit: Atchison Co Sheriff's Office
(KAIR)--Constant gunshots cause fear and leave property damage. Now, a horse is dead, killed by what Atchison County Sheriff's investigators believe are likely the same shooters.
Undersheriff Joe Butner tells MSC News the shooting has been occurring along River Road, near 230th Road, in the southeast corner of Atchison County. "We have been contacting all the neighbors around the area, questioning them, and hearing stories about random gunshots, bullets whizzing by their houses. Damage being done.[We] hope somebody will step up and let us know who did this, who killed this horse. It's not just a horse, it was the man's pet, it had a [7-month-old] colt [named Roxy] right there next to it. The colt stayed with her all night while she was dead. Pretty heart wrenching."
It's believe the 22-year-old quarter horse Palamino, named April, and owned by Lloyd Boldridge, suffered the fatal gunshot sometime between Sunday night and 5:00 Monday evening.
Days later, it was a nearby goose that suffered a gunshot.
Butner says that discovery was made after residents in the area heard gunshots around 12:30 Thursday afternoon. "We got a call from one of the neighbors about a shotgun blast, near her home. She goes and investigates and calls us. In the middle of the road was a goose that had been shot, obviously, with a shotgun, just left dead on the roadway. It's indiscriminate. They're shooting at anything that moves."
Butner says concerns of more property damage, or even the loss of human life, is possible, based on the discovery of bullet holes on property belonging to a neighbor of Boldridge. "We're concerned about where the bullet's going. These people aren't looking for backstops, they're trespassing. One of the neighbors, just a half-mile from where the horse was shot, showed me a building that had numerous bullet holes from people stopping, shooting, at traffic signs, and her building and house as a backstop. She told me it wasn't uncommon to hear bullets whizz by her house, at which time she said she would just go back in her house and hunker down."
So far, no definite suspects have been developed, but Butner says the Sheriff's Office is focused on the area of the shootings.
He urges anyone near that location to contact authorities if they hear gunshots, or if they have any information pertaining to the investigation.
© Many Signals Communications
MOST VIEWED STORIES
Walnut Township recall coming; Friday mtg erupts in arrest
Sabetha woman arrested in business burglary
Effingham teen facing child sex crimes charges
Severe storms move through NE KS
Document forgery alleged in ATCO's Walnut Township
Two Brown Co officers honored for their bravery
Severe storms reported Tuesday in NE KS
Two search warrants, two Horton homes, two arrests
Whiting woman pleads to theft of fire dept. funds
Atchison man nabbed for neighbor's 4 wheeler theft
Meriden man bound over on rape charge
Two men arrested in Jackson Co for distribute of meth
Tornado damage surveyed in NE KS
Winning lottery ticket sold in Falls City about to expire
Flags across KS to fly half-staff Sunday
Richardson County Deputies busy during special enforcement
Beef Barn replacement planned in Jefferson Co
LATEST STORIES
Two search warrants, two Horton homes, two arrests
Brown Co Sheriff's Office releases April stats
Flags across KS to fly half-staff Sunday
Commission takes action related to bridge project
Whiting woman pleads to theft of fire dept. funds
Two men arrested in Jackson Co for distribute of meth
Winning lottery ticket sold in Falls City about to expire