Dwight Engelhardt is facing attempted murder charges after apparently ending a quarrel over a pet dog by shooting the other man involved and the dog, too.
The injured man, Charles Whitaker, is in critical but stable condition while recovering at Kendall Regional Hospital in Miami-Dade. The dog—a German pointer named Trouble—is also being treated for injuries after sustaining at least one shot to the leg.
According to police reports, the confrontation began after Whitaker and a friend who owns the dog went to a local restaurant for drinks. That’s when things took a strange and violent turn.
“Whitaker got into an argument with a woman about the dog, Deputy Becky Herrin said,” read a report in the Miami Herald. “The woman told Detective Bernardo Barrios she made a joking remark about stealing the dog and Whitaker took her seriously, got angry and began to yell and swear at her.”
This all happened in close proximity to the sailboat Engelhardt lives on, and the 63-year-old reportedly told Whitaker he was trespassing. Engelhardt retreated to the cabin of his boat, came back with a .380 caliber gun and began opening fire.
Whitaker sustained three shots to the groin and was airlifted from the scene for medical treatment. Deputy John Allen and Detective David Fernandez found Engelhardt and the gun on the boat and took Engelhardt into custody.
Given the nature of the charges Engelhardt is facing, he is being held in the Monroe County Detention Center with no bond allowed.
