A Jupiter animal rescue nonprofit is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person accused of shooting stray cats near the Sunshine Flea Market and killing all but one of them.
Furry Friends Humane has partnered with the Animal Crimes Unit of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office in an effort to identify a man investigators believe is responsible for shooting multiple cats at the bazaar, at Military Trail and Forest Hill Boulevard near Palm Springs.
Gabriella Gluck, a spokesperson for Furry Friends Humane, said the nonprofit doubled its initial $5,000 reward after receiving a gift a donation from a supporter who was horrified by videos of the incident.
Furry Friends would not say how many cats have died. The lucky
one, Zoe, survived a gunshot wound and is now being cared for by the nonprofit. The bullet fractured her left leg, forcing veterinarians to amputate it.
"Every day we do work dedicated to helping animals and to see someone actively trying to harm them is extremely heartbreaking," Gluck said. "It's also very concerning to know this is happening in our community."
She added: "It's hard to fathom. We really don't want there to be another animal next."
The Sheriff's Office began its investigation in August when Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control was notified about cats found dead from gunshot wounds near the flea market.
A resident later shared a video on social media that appears to show a man riding an e-bike, wearing a headlamp and firing a gun at stray cats. The footage has been widely shared on social media across Palm Beach County.
Investigators used the footage to obtain a photo of the suspect, but he has not been identified. PBSO is asking anyone with information to contact the Animal Crimes Unit at animalcruelty@pbso.org or to submit a tip through Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control's Animal Cruelty website.
Gluck said the community's response and support has been encouraging.
"Protecting animals doesn't stop at the shelter," Gluck sick. "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."
Valentina Palm covers immigration and breaking news for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Stray cat killings brings $10K reward from Jupiter rescue group
