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Clairton Dog Shot & Possibly Paralyzed, Persons Of Interest Sought

CLAIRTON (KDKA) - A Clairton family says their 6-month-old dog, Simba, was shot Tuesday morning after escaping from the house.

Jessica Ferrero says one of her three sons opened the front door and Simba ran out.

"Everybody came out to get the dog. We knew basically that the dog was either going to be in the front yard, the back yard or right there," said Ferrero as she pointed to a tree across the street from their home.

Skylar Brown was about to run across the street when he watched two men stand over his dog.

"As I was walking out the door, I heard the gunshot and [saw] the guy standing over the dog," said Brown. "I asked him, 'Did you shoot my dog?' and he replied to me, 'No, I didn't shoot your dog.'"

At that point, one of the men had already run off. As Ferrero came outside screaming, Brown says the second man with the gun also started to run.

Clairton Police spoke with neighbors and canvassed nearby businesses and released pictures of two people, considered "persons of interest."

Anyone who knows the two individuals is asked to call police.

Simba was taken to the Riverside Veterinary Clinic in Elizabeth. The bullet was lodged just under his skin near his hip, after traveling from his shoulder and through his spine.

Dr. Marybeth Cline said there's still a question about whether or not Simba will be able to use his back legs.

"Too soon to know. He's day-to-day at this point," said Dr. Cline.

Dr. Cline said there is secondary swelling on the spine and they will know more when the swelling goes down.

A family friend created a GoFundMe page to help pay for vet costs, which right now are about $1,600, but could increase.

That page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/kr8aycp8

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