Spokane, WASH. — 30-year-old Tyler L. Peterson faces charges of 1st degree assault and 1st degree animal cruelty. He went before a judge for the first time for those crimes on Thursday.
Deputies say Peterson shot and killed a dog and shot a man who suffered life-threatening injuries. The Sheriff’s Office says it happened around 4:50 a.m. on 18100 block of E. Cowley Avenue in Spokane Valley on Wednesday.
Court documents show the two men had issues with each other and Peterson was upset that the victim sold him a stolen trailer months before. In the weeks after, the two slashed each others tires.
According to witness accounts to detectives, Peterson asked a friend to drive him to the victim’s house. Once there, someone was able to convince the victim to step outside and into the car where they were seated. At that point, Peterson allegedly shot the victim. When witnesses inside the victim’s home came outside, a pit bull named ‘Cujo’ got out. Deputies say Peterson shot and killed the dog before taking off.
The victim was transported to a hospital.
Peterson’s bond was set at $200,000 by the judge, who noted Peterson has 26 adult criminal convictions.
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