Loose dog shot to death in Cape Girardeau

A pit bull was shot to death Friday morning on Hawthorne Road in Cape Girardeau.

According to Cape Girardeau Police Department spokesman Barry Hovis, "two pit bull dogs were running at large from another residence."

Hovis said that, according to the incident report, the man living there opened his door to shoo the dogs away "but one got into his residence."

Robert Monia, who lives at 2818 Hawthorne Road, said he shot the dog, Kamoli, after it attacked his cat. Monia said he was trying to get the dog off the cat and out of the house and was holding the dog's leather collar when the dog turned on him.

"I'm not sure if he scratched me or bit me," he said.

But Monia said he feared for his own safety as well as his cat's. He said a .22-caliber gun was close by. He shot the dog in the head and then twice more in its body. The dog ran out of the house and died in the yard, he said.

"I didn't do anything against the law, and I wouldn't do anything against the law," Monia said. "You've got the right to protect yourself. That's a fact of life and law."

But he also said he feels bad about what happened because he and the dog's owner are friends.

Hovis said the incident is under investigation and Monia may be ticketed for discharging a firearm within the city limits.

Trent Tollison, Kamoli's owner and a neighbor of Monia's, could not be reached for comment.

Monia said he is a former Marine and garnered 24 years' experience in law enforcement before becoming disabled.

Hovis said when police responded to a call for help, they found one dog dead and the other still at large.

"The other dog was seized and taken to the Humane Society," he said. Tollison could receive a summons for allowing his dogs to run at large, Hovis said.

Police reports indicate Tollison received a dog-at-large summons in January. Monia said the dogs have frequently run loose. He said his cat is OK.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127