ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WTHR) – The man who shot and killed a neighbor's 65-pound pet tortoise has issued a public apology.
The Boone County Sheriff's Office is investigating last week's shooting. The 16-year-old African sulcata tortoise, named Merlin, escaped from his fenced yard sometime on Thursday. Merlin was shot and killed by a neighbor a few hundred yards away late Thursday afternoon.
Owner Tasha Chapel didn't discover Merlin was missing until Friday. She posted a Facebook plea for help, which turned up photos of Merlin crossing the county road that runs past their neighborhood, near a sheep farm. Tasha tracked down a phone number and called the sheep farmer.
"Yes, I did see him and I have some bad news," Chapel recalled the voice on the other end. "I shot him. He told me, 'I didn't know what he was. I didn't know what he was.' I was like, 'You shoot something you don't know what it is instead of calling the police or Boone County Humane Society or anybody?' I ended up hanging up on him because I couldn't handle it and I called the police."
The man who shot Merlin told me on the phone Tuesday it was an "unfortunate event." Wednesday, the Zionsville resident issued a public apology through his attorney saying he'd "apologized to the pet’s owner immediately after he realized his own terrible error in judgment. He expressed his sincere sorrow to the family and continues to indicate a desire to make amends. The overwhelming negative response on social media with distorted facts and speculation, has put a barrier between the man and the pet’s owner with attempts to make amends nearly impossible. The family is understandably angry and grieving for the loss of their beloved pet. The man is devastated that he mistook the exotic pet for a potentially harmful animal. He is hopeful that he will be able to meet with the pet’s owner to more fully express his sincere apologies."
Boone County investigators have talked to the man who shot the tortoise, Chapel and multiple witnesses. In a media release, the sheriff's office says, "It is unclear what the exact circumstances prior to and after the shooting were."
"This is animal cruelty," said Chapel at her home Tuesday morning. "This is murder of my pet that is somewhat considered property, then theft for stealing my pet and taking him somewhere for a new home decoration. It's senseless."
Chapel says the tortoise was taken to a taxidermist who was going to mount Merlin for a friend of the farmer. Chapel has since recovered the body of the tortoise and hopes to have it preserved at her son's request.
"As tragic and horrible as this is, it rips me apart," said Chapel. "I don't want him to have died in vain. If stuff like this has happened or does happen, it's not going to be taken lightly. I am not going to stop. I am a force right now and I am not going to stop until this is seen all the way through."
Chapel still has another 16-year-old tortoise, Daisy, who weighs 50 pounds. She has raised the tortoises since she could hold them in the palm of her hand. The reptiles can live up to 80 years and weight about 100 pounds.
To make this ordeal even harder, Tasha is getting married Saturday. Merlin's death has taken the focus off what should have been a time to celebrate in her life. She started a Facebook page seeking justice for Merlin.