The killing of a well-known dog in Yorktown has left his owner in mourning and a community in outrage.
James Molloy, a 61-year-old retired New York Police Department officer, allegedly shot and killed a dog named Luke while walking his own dog in Yorktown on Wednesday, Aug. 3.
Luke, a 14-year-old husky-shepherd mix, belonged to Matt Steele, who is currently experiencing homelessness.
“He was the sweetest, kindest dog,” Steele told The Journal News. “He was my emotional support.”
Molloy, a Yorktown resident, is currently facing two felony charges — aggravated cruelty to animals and reckless endangerment of the first degree — according to Yorktown police.
‘Not a vicious attack’
The shooting happened on a pavement lining Route 118, close to a bustling shopping complex.
Steele said Molloy and his dog were walking past when Luke’s leash snapped. He claimed the two dogs then engaged in a “non-life threatening scuffle.”
“It was not a vicious attack,” said Steele, adding that Luke “loved people.”
He was calling for Luke, who he nicknamed “Snoopy,” to come back to him when Molloy allegedly pulled out a gun and shot him.
At around 7:30 p.m., police arrived on scene after receiving a report that a dog had “attacked” another dog. Molloy was arrested shortly after.
As a retired NYPD officer, Molloy is able to legally carry a firearm.
Since the incident, support for Steele and Luke — who are widely-known in the small town — has poured in from community members and officials alike.
“They’ve never bothered anybody,” said Yorktown resident Danielle Zumpano while visiting Steele on Friday. “He is a good person.”
She said she and her three kids loved Luke, and would often bring him bones to gnaw on and homemade meals.
In a statement Friday, Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman wrote he had taken Luke on walks in the past.
“I found him to be a curious and friendly dog,” he wrote. “My heart goes out to his owner, who is well known in our community, and to everyone who has been impacted by this tragic event.”
Memorial for dog grows near Yorktown Heights shooting site
Balloons and bouquets of flowers are now tucked in the chain-link fence lining the pavement where Luke was killed.
At around noon on Friday, a number of community members passed through the area to offer Steele their condolences.
“It broke my heart,” one told Steele.
“The people of Yorktown are all here for you,” said another.
One visitor, Yorktown Heights resident Kathy Roberto, said she hopes “justice gets done the right way.”
“It’s very upsetting this happened to him, to his dog, his life,” she told The Journal News. “This should never happen to anybody.”
Mindy Murphy, a retired teacher who used to live in Yorktown, said a number of community members are planning to rally outside the courthouse where Molloy is scheduled to appear Aug. 11.
“It’s heartbreaking,” she said while picking her dry cleaning up a short walk from where the shooting happened. “That dog was everything for him.”
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Yorktown Heights community creates memorial for killed dog; rally set
Reporting by Leia Green, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Leia Green, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
