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Police: Neighbor Cited For Shooting Man's Pit Bull

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A battle over a pit bull ended violently in a south Sacramento neighborhood. One man's pet is dead, and his neighbor is now cited for pulling the trigger.

The dog owner says his pet pit bull never hurt anyone, and had never escaped from his yard.

"By the time I came out, my dog was already up in the garage," dog owner Rav Singh said.

Singh showed CBS13 the spot where his pit bull Ralo bled to death, but it's what happened before that remains unclear.

"It doesn't make no sense," he said.

It was on Thanksgiving Day when Sacramento police responded to find Ralo shot to death, and a trail of blood on the pavement outside.

The person who opened fire, according to officers, was Singh's next door neighbor.

"Kids come around, I've got nieces and nephews, they play with the dog," said Singh. "There's no other aggression towards people."

Singh is insistent, despite his breed, Ralo was tame. However, the neighbor told officers the dog got loose and he felt threatened.

It's a story Singh doesn't buy.

"There was no way my dog ran there, opened up the gate, ran (to the neighbor's home) and came back," said Singh.

Singh says the same neighbor has made comments about wanting to kill the dog. Police have now charged that neighbor with reckless discharge of a weapon, and more charges could be coming.

Neighbors said Singh's dogs haven't caused any issues in the past.

"I've never seen him out; I've never seen him out in the street," said one neighbor.

For Singh, it's a family pet that's been taken away, and are now hoping that justice is served, even for a pit bull.

"I'm sure there was a better way to deal with it," said Singh. "I'm not going to go around and shoot people's dogs."

Police say they are still investigating the case, which is complicated by a lack of independent witnesses.

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