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Florida Radio Host Shoots Dog, Hits Wife Too

By Javier Lavagnino, Esq. on May 01, 2009 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

A Florida radio personality, Shannon Burke, reportedly got really fed up with a pet dog last night ... and ended up shooting his wife. The Orlando Sentinel reports that Burke told police he became angry with his wife's pet dog, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. That was when he apparently began "waving a firearm that he thought was not loaded". Another local news report indicated, however, that "[a]ccording to Burke, he was angry and got into an argument with his wife, Catherine, and at one point grabbed her dog, and used his .40-caliber pistol to threaten the dog, when he said, the gun accidentally went off."

At any rate, the end result was that a shot went through his dog's leg and also grazed his wife's head. Fortunately, neither the dog's nor the wife's wounds are life threatening, but Burke now faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and animal cruelty (despite his claims that the shootings were an accident).

Burke's former girlfriend reportedly provided some testimony claiming he has "episodes of violence", and he was required to wear a GPS monitoring ankle bracelet as a condition for release, plus was also ordered to stay away from his wife and their home.

The testimony from a former girlfriend or spouse, plus the imposition of those types of requirements can indicate police suspect domestic violence in a case, despite the apparent absence of any accusations from a spouse.

Regardless, Burke's time outside of jail might have been pretty limited, however, as he ended up getting re-arrested today on DUI charges. Considering he "is currently on probation from a guilty verdict in a driving under the influence case", his attorney's workload might really be piling up now.

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