Neighbor fired air rifle, unaware it hit Salma Hayek’s dog

Washington state authorities say Salma Hayek's neighbor fired an air rifle at a dog that had come into his garage and fought with his dogs and didn't realize he had struck the dog.

The Thurston County Sheriff's Office has been investigating after Hayek's dog was found shot on her ranch on Feb. 19, about 70 miles south of Seattle.

Lt. Cliff Ziesemer said Monday that the actress' neighbor told a deputy he was inside his house when he heard what sounded like a dog fight in his garage. The neighbor says he fired one shot from an air rifle and the other two dogs ran off.

Ziesemer says a veterinarian determined a lead pellet nicked an artery and that the actress' dog internally bled out.

Hayek posted on Instagram Friday that she was mourning the death of her 9-year-old dog named Mozart and hoped authorities would find justice. A caretaker was watching the dogs on the ranch.

The case will be referred to the prosecutor's office.

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