An Alexandria man was arrested on July 29 after shooting and killing his cat during an argument with his girlfriend in their Landmark area apartment.
Alexandria Police responded to a call for shots fired at an apartment in the 6000 block of Edsall Road at around 1:15 a.m. The suspect’s girlfriend said she and her boyfriend got into an argument while watching television. The woman said that she recently bought a handgun after a destruction of property incident, and that her boyfriend took the gun and shot a round at their bed in anger.
Their cat was lying underneath the bed at the time he allegedly fired the gun. The cat was shot and killed.
Police said that the suspect’s reaction was unusual.
“Due to (the suspect’s) intense crying and snot, it was hard to observe any signs of intoxication such as bloodshot or dilated eyes or slurred speech and make an accurate determination if (he) was under the influence of narcotics at the time,” police said in a search warrant affidavit.
The suspect has three prior felony convictions, according to police. He was arrested for negligent discharge of a firearm and being a felon in possession of a firearm.