Police are hunting for a ruthless gunman who opened fire on a Brooklyn street Wednesday afternoon, nearly killing a developmentally delayed woman and leaving her family’s beloved dog bleeding from a bullet wound.
Authorities say the gunman pulled a firearm in broad daylight and brazenly fired a round at an unidentified male — missing his target and accidentally striking the dog, who later had the bullet removed.
The nephew of Teresa Pezzolla, 64, who was walking her pet when the horror unfolded, told The Post “so basically, my aunt Teresa was walking the dog up to 5th Avenue.”
“She walks the dog regularly, and she went around the block, and this is where this kid came out of nowhere, opened fire on another person, and instead of hitting the person, hit the dog,” he explained.
The reckless shooting erupted at approximately 5:46 p.m. in front of 218 31st Street in Greenwood Heights, according to the NYPD.
“So I’m thankful that the bullet didn’t hit my aunt because I think it would have been a lot worse,” continue Pezzolla’s nephew.
While the sicko’s intended target escaped unharmed, the shooter’s errant bullet slammed into a seven-year-old Honey, a Labradoodle.
Pezzolla, who is developmentally delayed, walked back to the home with the animal, and her sister quickly called a cab and got the pup to an emergency vet.
“My mother called in a cab right away, got the dog to an emergency room — and the doctors there were able to pull a 22 caliber right out of the dog,” Pezzolla’s nephew explained.
When he got home, he immediately asked Pezzolla where the harrowing attack occurred.
“I walked my aunt outside, and I told her, ‘show me exactly where this happened,’ and I had the two police officers follow me from behind and, you know, she was able to point out exactly where this happened,” he said.
Nearby police officers happened upon the scene and asked what was going on.
“I started looking around 5th Avenue and that’s when two cops rolled up on me and asked me what was going on and I told them. And that’s when the cops jumped into action.”
Authorities were able to obtain surveillance footage from nearby cameras.
“I’ve been living in the neighborhood since I was a child,” the nephew explained.
“This is the first time anything like this has ever happened, a shooting in the area.”
“My aunt is very shaken up.”
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at https://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/, on X @NYPDTips.
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