Man Shot for Dragging Dead “Dog” Behind Him But There’s One Problem

A dispute over a piece of roadkill in rural Washington State ended up with a man being shot over what was mistakenly identified as a dead dog.

The unidentified man was dragging the animal several feet behind him on a rope while he was walking along a roadway.

Two drivers spotted the man dragging the animal (which they believed was a dog) and pulled over to angrily confront him.

It turns out that the road kill wasn’t a dog at all but rather a raccoon that he had found already dead and was taking home to use as bait in his crab traps. The man didn’t want it too close to him because of the stench of decomposition which is understandable.

Unfortunately for the victim, some people jumped to conclusions and he ended up being shot twice by one of those who pulled over who then fled the scene.

From the video it does appear that it may be a dog but such a determination couldn’t be made unless it was viewed closely.

Seattle area television station KOMO News reports “Sheriff: Argument over dead raccoon led to rural Mason Co. shooting”:

Officials say an altercation over a dead raccoon led to Sunday’s shooting in rural Mason County, and they are still looking for a person of interest in the shooting.

Lt. Travis Adams with Mason County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday the strange incident started as a man was walking along Highway 3 north of Allyn dragging a dead raccoon behind him with a rope.

The man had earlier found the raccoon, which had been hit by a car, and wanted to use it as bait for some type of crab pot. He didn’t want to smell its pungent stench, so he was dragging it about 15 feet behind him.

Some people driving by in a white SUV saw the man and thought he was dragging a dead dog behind him. This upset them, so they pulled over and angrily confronted the man.

At about the same time, one or more people in a black pickup drove by and also had the same false impression that the man was dragging a dead dog. They joined in the altercation, then one of them pulled out a gun and opened fire at the man with the dead raccoon. The man was struck twice in the leg.

The occupants of the white SUV and the black pickup then left the scene. The pickup struck the man who had been shot as it sped away.

Law enforcement authorities were perplexed over the incident and according to KOMO, couldn’t recall anything similar ever happening:

“I’ve been doing this for 21-plus years, and I’ve never quite heard the ‘raccoon being dragged down the road’ story before, so it’s a new one for all of us,” Adams said.

Police are searching for the shooter.