A Florida man was arrested last week and accused of fatally shooting his neighbor's cow after having previously expressed anger over livestock jumping his fence, according to authorities.
Hung Trinh, 54, of North Fort Myers, was charged with animal cruelty and grand theft of a commercial farm animal, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday on Facebook.
Trinh shot the 2-year-old cow on the neighbor’s property five times in its chest, gut and rear leg, authorities said. A veterinarian determined that the cow needed to be euthanized, the sheriff's office said.
“There will be accountability for taking your frustrations out on innocent animals, in this case, multiple felonies and jail time," Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a statement. "We know how much these animals mean to our farming community, and we will not tolerate these actions. I am proud of my Agriculture Unit for their immediate response and ability to make an arrest in this case."
The calf's owner said Trinh had previously expressed anger over his livestock jumping the fence and threatened to shoot the animals, according to the sheriff's office.
The sheriff's office added that its detectives executed a search warrant and found the .22 caliber gun in a shed on Trinh’s property.
The Facebook post also included a video of authorities approaching the wounded calf before it succumbed to the injuries. The video also showed Trinh's arrest.
Trinh could not be reached for comment. According to a database for the Lee County Sheriff's Office, he is in custody, and his bond was set for $100,000. He is set to appear in court June 16.
