ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul police officers responded to multiple calls of shots fired Tuesday night, and found three dogs that had been shot in Frogtown.
Police said all three dogs have since died.
At around 10 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to the reports at the intersection of Milton Street and Charles Avenue.
Officers were flagged down by a group of people in front of a house on the 900 block of Charles Avenue. They were lead by a trail of blood to a rottweiler named Charlotte who was bleeding profusely.
Other officers responding to the same report found another trail of blood leading to a second rottweiler named Kingston who was found in a nearby alleyway. The owner picked it up and took it to the veterinarian.
Officers also found a Great Dane named Sky, who they estimated to be less than a year old, unresponsive in a front yard.
The owner of the dogs said he had let them out into his fenced-in backyard but that one of the gates may have been open.
A caller told officials they heard dogs barking, then heard a gunshot followed by a dog yelping.
No arrests have been made but the case is open and active.
Police said Sky died shortly after the shooting. By Wednesday afternoon, police said the other two dogs were euthanized as their "injuries were not survivable." Charlotte had bullet injuries in the head, chest and legs. Kingston had a bullet injury in his leg.
St. Paul police said reports of shots fired are up 130% in the city over last year at this time, with 928 reports as of Tuesday morning, compared to 403 reports of shots fired at this time last year. In those reports, at least 79 people have been shot, and 12 people have died from shootings.
