‘He was just a really sweet kitty’: Two cats shot and killed in drive-by shooting in Midvale

MIDVALE, Utah (ABC4) — Two residents of Remington Apartments in Midvale are mourning the loss of their two cats who were shot and killed Wednesday morning.

Just before 5 a.m., police received reports of two men in a vehicle shoot a cat on the sidewalk outside an apartment complex near 7400 South and State Street.

According to Sgt. Aymee Race with the Unified Police Department, officers found a cat with a fatal gunshot wound when they arrived on scene. Race says it remains unclear what the motive for the shooting could be.

Reportedly, two men driving a white truck opened fire and killed the cats. A witness told officials and ABC4 that a passenger reached out with a gun and shot the cat.

One cat, “Tiger,” was adopted eight years ago. The other, named “OG”, was a community cat that residents say they loved.

Nancy Oxsen, one of Tiger’s owners, was in tears upon hearing the news that her cat was killed in a drive-by shooting. She says, “It’s hard to fathom why somebody would want to do something like that to an innocent animal, to shoot him and kill him in cold blood and just walk away.”

OG was a community cat that was taken care of by multiple community members, including Ben Sponaugle. Sponaugle recalled the love the community had for OG, telling ABC4 that “we got his bad teeth removed, so it wasn’t a casual endeavor”

Currently, the two men are still on the loose. Animal control is now in charge of the investigation.

As for Tiger’s family and the community that took care of OG, they are mourning the loss of their cats, Kathy Thompson, Tiger’s other owner, says, “You know, I have to wonder, is he going to try and kill our other cats? Is he stalking our home? He better not be.”

No other animals have been harmed in the area, officials confirm.

Bayan Wang contributed to this reporting.