One horse killed, another being treated at Purdue after being shot multiple times

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue Large Animal Hospital Resident Veterinarian Richard Hartman is treating 3-year-old horse Sunny after he was shot multiple times.

"We did see some shadowing under the wounds that could be consistent with metal fragments underneath the skin," Hartman said.

It happened Wednesday afternoon in Anderson where Sunny's owner found him and another horse with multiple wounds from what looked like bullets. The other horse died from its injuries.

Detective Joel Sandefur said the owner valued both horses at $25,000 each. He said a necropsy is planned to extract the bullets from the horse that died.

"Evidence can be collected from that horse, we did collect shell casings so we do have the capability of matching ballistics, should we find a weapon," Sandefur said.

Sandefur said both a handgun and a shotgun were used to shoot the horses and if a match is found for the bullets the person responsible could face serious charges.

"An investigation of this nature, charges could range from criminal mischief to cruelty to an animal," Sandefur said.

As for Sunny, Dr. Hartman said when he was brought into the hospital Wednesday night he was showing signs of shock, but was able to walk.

He said there are too many wounds to count.

"One of the things we were worried about is where the wounds are located, was there any trauma to the chest and the blood work showed he was still able to breathe normally," Hartman said.

Dr. Hartman said he did find some internal bleeding, but that has been treated. He said the main concern now is making sure Sunny has a healthy recovery.

"It's a good environment for bacteria to set up shop and start an infection so we'll have to monitor him closely and see how he responds to his fluid therapy and antibiotics," Hartman said.

If Sunny's condition continues to improve, Dr. Hartman said he could go home in a few days. 

A necropsy for the horse that died from its wounds was scheduled for Thursday. Results are still pending.

Anderson police said they are still searching for the person responsible for shooting the two horses.