Licensed gun owner says he killed 1-year-old Chihuahua for threatening him

A 14-year-old Detroit girl says that a neighbor shot and killed JoJo, her 1-year-old Chihuahua, because he wasn't on a leash and was making too much noise.

The licensed gun owner, however, told police that he gunned down the tiny dog because it was threatening him.

The girl, who WJBK declined to identify, said that she had gone inside for a few minutes while JoJo ran free in the yard. When she came back outside, the neighbor warned her to take the dog back in the house.

"When he saw my dog running out of the bushes, [he said], 'I'm going to handle him myself,' and then I guess my dog had run back up on him again, and he just shot him," the teen recalled as she cradled the dead dog in a blanket.

"His life couldn't have felt threatened at all by this little Chihuahua," she explained.

Detroit Police determined that the neighbor was a licensed gun owner.

"This is a harsh reminder of responsibility," Detroit Dog Rescue's Dante Dasaro told WJBK. "If the dog was just simply on a leash and simply was on a leash to go outside, you know, the owner would have better control. No matter how this played out it was an unfortunately situation, and it really shouldn't have happened."

Grown Chihuahuas typically weigh between 2 and 6 pounds.

Watch this video from WJBK, broadcast April 3, 2013.