Heartbreaking moment dying dog gets final drink after being shot ‘by drug dealer’

This is the moment a dying dog sipped her final drink of water after being shot in the head by a drug dealer, police say. The dog, called Ruby, was blasted with a bullet in Lehigh Acres, Florida, in February.

Ruby was found alive and was comforted by local rescue workers, but later succumbed to her injuries. Lee County Sheriff’s Office now believe drug suspect Timothy Lancaster, 39, is behind the act of animal abuse after his fingerprints were found on shell casings discovered close to where Ruby was shot.

Her death is the first animal abuse crime investigated by the sheriff’s office new Animal Abuse Task Force, with spokesman Gary Levine saying deputies were steeling themselves for very upsetting work.

Levine told the News-Press: ‘We knew from the get-go that we would find some really bad people. This task force is going to do amazing stuff.’ Deputies have not said whether Ruby belonged to Lancaster, or offered a motive for her horrific slaying.

Lancaster was facing nine charges including meth trafficking, cocaine and marijuana possession, and possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. He is also accused of possession of now-banned bump stocks, which can be used to effectively convert a standard gun into a machine gun.

The suspected dog killer was freed on $103,000 bond on Saturday morning and is due back in court on June 1.

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