Investigate the Cruel Pellet-Gun Shootings of Horses Mystic and Chief

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The Issue

Two horses, Mystic and Chief, were reportedly shot with a pellet gun on back-to-back nights at a property in Lafayette, Colorado. Mystic was hit once. Chief was hit 36 times. Both animals were left injured, and it's hard to imagine how frightened they must have been.

No one has come forward as a witness, and there's no surveillance footage of either attack, which makes it that much harder for investigators to piece together what happened — and that much more important that they have every resource they need to try.

Horses can't tell us who did this to them. That's exactly why it falls to the people responsible for public safety to find out. The Boulder County Sheriff's Office is asking anyone with information to come forward, and they deserve the backing of a community that wants to see this resolved — not filed away as unsolved.

Deliberately shooting an animal 36 times isn't an accident, and it shouldn't be treated as a minor case. Whoever did this may not stop with Mystic and Chief if they're never identified.

This petition asks the Boulder County Sheriff's Office to commit every available resource to investigating these shootings, to actively pursue tips from the public, and to hold whoever is responsible accountable under the law.

Mystic and Chief can't ask for justice themselves. Sign this petition to demand a full investigation — before another animal pays the price for silence.

avatar of nancy M.
avatar of Peggy D.
Petition Advocates

The Decision Makers

Boulder County Sheriff's Office
Boulder County Sheriff's Office
Responded
“We understand and share the community’s concern regarding the pelletgun attacks on Mystic and Chief. This was a cruel and alarming act, and our Animal Protection Officers and investigators have been actively working this case since it was first reported. These incidents are not treated as minor. We have conducted multiple site visits, interviews, and evidence collection, and we continue to follow every lead. To reach as many people as possible, we issued public requests for information across our social media platforms, including Nextdoor, Facebook, X, and Instagram, and our Public Information Officers responded to requests for information to several news media outlets, resulting in broad coverage. Social media outreach examples: - BCSO Facebook post: https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19ezXUBCbT/ - BCSO Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DcmPh8Oi0Wu/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&stkn=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D News coverage examples: - 9News: https://www.9news.com/article/life/animals/horse-shot-with-pellet-gun-36- times-in-disturbing-case-of-animal-cruelty-in-lafayette-deputies-say/73-a524f79c- 437f-4b6b-9db7-107148fa9944 - KDVR: https://kdvr.com/news/local/horse-shot-36-times-in-reported-boulder- county-cruelty-incident/ - Yellow Scene Magazine: https://yellowscene.com/2026/09/03/horses-shot-with- pellet-guns-police-seeking-information/ We will continue dedicating all appropriate resources to this investigation and encourage anyone with information, no matter how small, to contact the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office. You can reach Email Animal Protection Officer Abbott at rabbott@bouldercounty.gov. Community partnership is essential, and we appreciate everyone who has stepped forward to help. [Note: The Change.org Civic Engagement Team reaches out to decision makers to let them know about petitions in their community and to help facilitate engagement with supporters. The above was an email response we received regarding this petition.]”
Curtis Johnson
Boulder County Sheriff

Supporter Voices

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