UPDATED: Family Mourns After Dog Shot In Levittown

Amy and Tim Strickler at the scene of the shooting.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com

UPDATED: 7:16 a.m., Saturday:

Late Friday night, Bristol Township police issued a statement on the shooting. Below is a portion of their statement:

Neighbors directed the police to the residence of the neighbor who had shot the dog. The neighbor reported to police he was walking his German Shephard dog by [the home on] Midwood Lane when the American Bulldog escaped the yard and started attacking his dog. The neighbor has a valid license to carry a firearm and pulled his revolver, firing one shot at the attacking dog.
Neighbors were interviewed and evidence was collected from the scene. The [Bucks County District Attorney’s Office] was notified and will review all the evidence and reports before making a charging decision.
Anyone who has information about this incident is asked to contact Officer Jacker of the Bristol Township Police Department at jjacker186@bristolpd.org.

Original Story:

A family wants answers after they say a neighbor killed one of their mother’s dogs.

The incident happened Friday around 9 a.m. on Midwood Lane in Bristol Township’s Levittown section when a 4-year-old Pitbull mix was shot in the chest and died on the front lawn shortly after.

Tim and Amy Strickler received a call that the dog – named Mickey – had been shot and the police were on the way.

Based on what the Stricklers have been told and pieced together, a neighbor walking their dog was passing the fenced-in yard where Amy Strickler’s mother lives with Mickey and her other dog, Abbey. A gunshot was heard and Mickey was found with under a large tree dying of a chest wound.

As of midday Friday, the yard still had bloodstains from the incident.

The Stricklers said the neighbor talked with police and then left the scene.

According to the information given to the Stricklers by police, the neighbor said Mickey had escaped the fenced enclosure and attacked the neighbor and his dog.

However, the Stricklers said they find that hard to believe because the fence is hard to open, the dog doesn’t have a history of escaping, and was known throughout the neighborhood for being calm and mild-mannered.

Officers told the family they were reviewing the dog’s shooting death and would pass the case over to the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, the Stricklers said.

“We want justice,” Amy Strickler said.

“Why was this guy walking his dog with a gun? I’m fine with gun owners, but why did he need a gun in his neighborhood?” Tim Strickler asked.

The family now has concerns that a gun was fired and there are so many unanswered questions about what transpired. They are worried about the neighbor being armed and their state of mind at the time of the shooting.

Amy Strickler said Mickey belonged to her mom and had given her a new spark for life as she deals with dementia.

“We had to tell my mom with dementia what happened,” she said, holding back a tear.

Mickey came to the Levittown home after being rescued from abuse and a tough upbringing. She was known throughout the neighborhood for wearing a shirt on sunny days to avoid sunburn and laying in the yard.

The neighbor who reportedly fired the fatal shot was not home to comment to a reporter on Friday afternoon.

Police did not issue comment as of 8 p.m.