A Florida rescue has doubled its reward to $10,000 after surveillance footage captured a gunman on an e-bike shooting a stray cat near a West Palm Beach flea market.
Zoe, the lone known survivor of the rampage, is recovering at Furry Friends Humane in Jupiter after losing her leg to a bullet. The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has been investigating since August, when Animal Care and Control first learned of cats found dead from gunshot wounds near the Sunshine Flea Market.
“Zoe is frightened and in pain,” Jason Gluck, CEO of Furry Friends Humane, told The Post. The rescue initially offered $5,000 for information leading to an arrest, but a supporter who was horrified by the footage donated additional money to double the amount.
The sheriff’s office has used the surveillance video to obtain an image of the suspect, though he has not been publicly identified. The footage shows a man wearing a headlamp, riding an e-bike into a parking lot near the flea market in the middle of the night, getting off his ride, aiming a handgun at a cat, firing, and driving off.
“We’re asking everyone who sees this video to really look at it and share it,” Gluck said. “The person who recognizes this person could be the person who helps bring them to justice.”
The Animal Crimes Unit of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information to contact [email protected] or submit a tip through Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control’s Animal Cruelty website.
The man is believed to have killed at least a dozen stray cats in Palm Beach County, officials said. The killings have centered near the Sunshine Flea Market area, where the surveillance camera captured the latest attack.
“Protecting animals doesn’t stop at the shelter,” Gluck said. “It happens when something like this happens in our community and we have an opportunity to help because we want to protect all animals in our community.”
The investigation remains active as authorities work to identify the gunman.