Man accused of killing animals with a pellet gun in Hialeah Gardens
A man used a pellet gun to kill ducks, iguanas, dogs, ibises, and other animals in Hialeah Gardens, police said.
Business owners and neighboring residents started to find dead animals. Surveillance video helped them solve the mystery.
Investigators later identified the culprit as Redy Diaz Laurencio. Florida residents are allowed to humanely kill muscovy ducks on their property without a license or a permit. Diaz was not allowed to do it outside of this property.
Authorities also seized Diaz’s Ruger Impact Max Elite .22 caliber pellet rifle and the pellets and then slapped him with a $530 fine for hunting migratory birds without authorization.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission investigated the case at the federal and state levels. The Hialeah Gardens Police Department and Miami-Dade Animal Services investigated at the local level.
The investigation is ongoing. Diaz refused to comment for this story unless he was paid $1,000 for an interview.
