Family pet shot, killed in southwest Las Vegas neighborhood

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) – A beloved family pet was shot and eventually died after being rushed to the vet in a neighborhood in the southwest Las Vegas valley over the weekend.

Viven Soria and her family told 8 News Now that they have multiple pets and one of them was an 11-month-old Russian Blue cat named “Scooter.”

“Scooter was very playful,” explained Viven Soria. “He just loved this area and so I miss this. This is his area.”

The shooting happened on Saturday around 11:30 p.m. in a neighborhood near Blue Diamond Road and Decatur Boulevard. The family noticed the cat was missing and an hour later they found him inside their home wailing in pain. Soria’s son made the discovery and early on Sunday morning, Viven got a call from her son who was at the vet with Scooter. She was visiting friends in California at the time.

Her family had no idea what was wrong with their family cat until the X-ray came back.

“When the x-ray came in, they told us he got shot,” Soria said.

She said she had to watch Scooter get put down over Facetime and then catch the next flight home. Now she is worried about her other pets’ safety and won’t let them outside. She’s also worried about her family.

“I don’t feel safe at all in our neighborhood,” she expressed.

Soria along with her vet have both contacted police regarding the incident and now she is asking for the public’s help.

“Somebody out there who has a camera or seen someone or heard anything I would like this person put to jail,” she shared with 8 News Now.

Those responsible could face prison time and thousands in fines because unjustifiably mutilating or killing a family pet in Nevada is a felony.

For Soria, she has one last reminder of her family pet.

“All I have left is this scratch,” she said referencing a scratch on her arm.

Now an empty bowl sits in their kitchen for Scooter.

The Las Vegas Veterinary Specialty Center confirmed the pet was brought in over the weekend and put down due to gunshot wounds.

Anyone with any information is asked to please contact Las Vegas Metro police.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KLAS.