Neighbor charged in Crown Point shooting over dogs
A Crown Point man who was shot in the face in November after his neighbor shot his dog has been charged with attempted murder, according to court documents.
The two neighbors in the 6000 block of West 109th Avenue had a tenuous relationship since Guy T. Louise, 58, and his wife moved there in 2016, according to court records. Their properties are adjacent, the victim told police, with the Louises’ property encompassing five acres and his nine acres.
The victim said the Louises had three dogs — two German shepherds and a blue American Pit Bull Terrier — who roamed free on Louise’s property, court records said. The dogs, the victim said, were often aggressive to the point that the victim, after being attacked by the pit bull, started carrying a shotgun every time he walked his property, records show.
After a Nov. 18 incident in which the pit bull chased the victim back to his house, the victim said he drove to the Louises’ house and told Guy Louise that if any of his dogs came onto his property and acted aggressively, he would shoot the dog, according to an affidavit. A week later at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 25, the victim said he went outside to the west side of his property with his .22 caliber Ruger rifle and a 10-round magazine in case any of the dogs came after him, the affidavit said. As he got out there, the victim said he saw Louise throwing a stick to one of the German shepherds, at which point the dog “dropped the stick and came running toward him barking and snarling,” documents said.
“The dog then ran onto (the victim’s) property through a wooden area, and when it was about 30 feet away from him, (the victim) raised his rifle and fired at the German shepherd,” the affidavit said.
The victim fired two more shots at the dog when Louise exited his garage, raise a semi-automatic handgun and started shooting at the victim while running toward the victim’s yard. The victim ducked behind a tree and yelled for Louise to “Drop your gun!” which didn’t deter Louise, who also ducked behind a tree and fired between six and nine shots at the victim, records said.
The victim said he fired three shots at Louise, of which one hit Louise in the face, records said.
The victim told police that except for the shots Louise fired when he was at his garage, Louise was on the victim’s property, and the victim was defending himself, records said. The victim said he then handed his rifle to an employee of his and called 911 for an ambulance for Louise, the affidavit shows.
Court records show the dead dog was taken to the Lake County Animal Care and Control, where detectives saw the dog was shot from the front, confirming the victim’s account of it running toward him.
Louise was also charged with attempted battery by means of a deadly weapon, a level 5 felony; and criminal recklessness, a level 6 felony. He’s currently being held at the Lake County Jail.
Michelle L. Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.