Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Accused sniper pleads not guilty to killing puppy
A man accused of shooting and killing a tiny Chihuahua puppy named Princess is pleading not guilty after telling officers he shot the dog by accident.
Johansen Concepcion De La Ros appeared before Broward Circuit Judge Mariya Weekes on Wednesday morning with a translator and public defender Lien Lafargue.
He has waived his right to a speedy trial and is expected in court again on Feb. 28.
Police say Concepcion De La Ros, 19, took aim at Princess while perched on a friend’s apartment balcony in Davie on Sept. 29.
His weapon: A scoped pellet rifle.
If convicted of the third-degree felony, the Miami man could face five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Owner Roshelle Pearson and her daughter moved to Davie from Wisconsin on Sept. 28. Their puppy was killed the next day.
“The shooting took place during the first stroll in the new neighborhood,” Assistant State Attorney Alex Urruela said. “Welcome to South Florida.”
Lafargue, the public defender, plans to take depositions on Jan. 22 from Daniel Alvarez, who lived in the Davie apartment
complex and was on the balcony when the dog was shot; and Miguel Osorio, an off-duty Pembroke Pines officer who witnessed the incident and called 911.
Concepcion De La Ros told Davie police the puppy walked into the line of fire around as he was shooting toward a lake.
But Alvarez told police his friend got down on one knee, looked through the scope and said: “I’m going to shoot the dog.”
Soon after, Alvarez heard the pop of the rifle and the dog’s cries, he told police.
Just before the shooting, the off-duty Pembroke Pines officer was driving toward the apartment complex when he noticed a man on a balcony with a scoped black rifle.
It was Osorio who told Pearson her dog had been shot by a man on the balcony.
The incident sparked outrage on social media along with words of comfort from animal lovers for Pearson and her 8-year-old daughter.
Several people came forward after the incident offering to give the family a new puppy, but Pearson said they weren’t ready yet.
“We need a little time to get over our beautiful puppy,” she said at the time.
They had a change of heart by Christmas, after the owner of Petland offered to get them a new puppy.
They chose a white Chihuahua and named him Tello.
“My daughter is playing with him right now,” Pearson said Wednesday afternoon. “She does still talk about Princess. But she talks about how she hopes that this new puppy has a longer happier life ahead of him.”