NEW ORLEANS — Gunshots rang through the air when an assailant armed with a rifle stole a 4-month-old puppy and opened fire in a New Orleans East neighborhood early Saturday morning, a police spokesperson said.
A man was walking two English Bulldogs around 2:30 a.m. in the Little Woods area when he saw someone point a rifle at him. The rifleman told the man to hand over his cellphone and back away from the dogs.
After getting the phone from the victim, the rifleman threw the cellphone across the roadway and picked up the puppy, leaving the adult English Bulldog.
With one of the dogs in hand, the robber opened fire while running away, shooting several rounds at the victim, New Orleans Police Department investigators said.
According to police, the man walking his dogs wasn't wounded by the gunfire.
The shooting happened in the 7100 block of Bundy Road, the block south of Morrison Road and north of the I-10 Service Road.
Officers with NOPD's Seventh District responded to armed dognapping, and investigators are working to find out who took the dog and why.
Investigators with NOPD's Seventh District labeled the crime an armed robbery.
Anyone willing to share information that can help police in the investigation can contact NOPD Seventh District detectives at 504.658.6070 or call CrimeStoppers at 504.822.1111 or toll-free 1.877.903.7867.
► Get breaking news from your neighborhood delivered directly to you by downloading the FREE WWL-TV News app now in the IOS App Store or Google Play.