When David Burke took his dog for an evening stroll in Central Park Tuesday, he probably didn't think it would end in a tragedy. When he let his Labrador off the leash in the park, the dog suddenly fell down a hill, the New York Post reported. Burke picked up the dog and noticed a puncture wound on his head.
The man sat on a bench and held his dog when police came. He said he didn't see anyone else in the park when the dog collapsed. The canine was pronounced dead on the scene.
Burke believes his dog was shot, but authorities said there was no evidence of a gunshot wound. In fact, Burke admitted he didn't even hear gunshots. Authorities said the holes the owner saw on the dog's head were cuts, according to NBC New York.
Other dog owners were shocked to hear what happened that night.
"I don't think it would be unusual to jump to that as a potential conclusion, but I've never heard of a dog being deliberately injured by a person in the park," one woman told CBS New York.
A necropsy will be performed on the dog to determine the cause of death.
