3-Hour Shooting Spree Terrorizes Rural Community And Leaves 80 Animals Dead

Authorities say Vicente Joseph Arroyo killed miniature horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, ducks and other types of birds.

A California man was arrested Tuesday following a three-hour shooting spree that killed dozens of animals and forced local residents to shelter in place, the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office announced.

Vicente Joseph Arroyo, 39, was booked on charges including cruelty to animals and willful discharge of a firearm with gross negligence after deputies say he randomly fired multiple weapons and killed about 80 animals.

Authorities began receiving calls at about 3:25 a.m. on Tuesday reporting gunshots in the unincorporated community of Prunedale, some 38 miles south of San Jose, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies who responded to the scene continued to hear gunshots and ordered residents within a five-mile radius to shelter in place.

Deputies could hear various weapons being fired in an area with thick vegetation, but they could not immediately locate the shooter, the sheriff’s office said.

As the sun began to rise, a drone was eventually able to locate Arroyo in a vineyard next to a crashed vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. He was taken into custody without further incident.