CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A Canton family was hoping to spend their first Christmas together with their furry friend Rocko, but his life was cut tragically short a week before the holiday.
The Allen family had only had Rocko in their lives for a few months, but in a house full of girls– he had already become the ‘man of the house.’
“He was just about to have his first Christmas, his first birthday,” Owner April Allen said.
Last Tuesday, Allen’s two oldest children were getting off of their school bus when they were greeted by their family dog Rocko.
According to Allen, a man stuck in nearby traffic thought Rocko was being too rough. That’s when he stepped out of his vehicle, and proceeded to shoot him over 5 times until he died.
“It’s a lot of ways that it could have went about than just pulling out a gun and shooting,” Allen said. “If you’re protecting children, why are you pulling out guns in front of children? How is that protecting her eyes? She traumatized.”
The man charged with the crime is 26-year-old Gary Curtis Hudson. He’s facing 4 charges, those include:
| Hudson’s charges |
|---|
| 2923.161 – DISCHARGING WEAPON INTO HOME OR SCHOOL |
| 959.131 – PROHIBITIONS CONCERNING COMPANION ANIMALS |
| 2909.06 – CRIMINAL DAMAGING & ENDANGERING |
| 2911.211 – AGGRAVATED TRESPASS |
“What made it so bad was the school bus drivers even had gifts waiting for him to run up to the school to be like ‘Hey Rocco’ and say Merry Christmas because that was their last day of school,” Allen said.
After the attack, Rocko was cremated. But Allen says it will never be the same.
“It hit me hard, like I didn’t expect the emotion that I even felt,” Allen said. “But to see him like that and to see him on the ground like that just lifeless, it tore me up.”
The Stark County Sheriff’s office is still investigating the case.
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