Boy, 16, accused of fatally shooting cat in SE Salem

Police on Saturday arrested a teenager accused of shooting and killing a cat on May 10 in southeast Salem. 

The 16-year-old boy was arrested Saturday afternoon at his home without incident, the Salem Police Department said in a news release Sunday night.

The boy was lodged in the Marion County Juvenile Detention Center on an allegation of first-degree aggravated animal abuse.

His arrest comes after three other boys accused of taking part in the cat killing were arrested and faced proceedings in Marion County Juvenile Court. Two of the suspects are 17 and another is 15.

Police have not named any of the suspects. Juvenile court records are generally confidential under state law.

Police responded on May 10 to reports of a cat being shot to death on the sidewalk outside a home in the 2200 block of Southeast Lee Street. The area is near Lee City Park.

The residents’ security camera captured the act on video around 2:30 a.m. that morning. The recording showed five teens gathered around the pregnant cat, named Vortex, before one of them shot and killed the cat with what appeared to be a rifle. 

Under Oregon law, maliciously killing an animal is a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $125,000. An adjudication in juvenile court can result in the same commitment period, the youth equivalent of a sentence.

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Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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