Suspect arrested after dog shot in head during road rage incident in Mesa

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - A man is in custody after a dog was shot during a suspected case of road rage late last week in Mesa.

Last Friday afternoon, Mesa police responded to reports of a road rage incident Alma School and Broadway roads. The victim told officers he was driving on Broadway when he accidentally cut off a gray car. He said the driver of that car then pulled up to the passenger side of his truck and yelled, “I’m going to kill you!” He said the man then moved to the driver’s side and that he heard a loud pop.

Police say the victim quickly made a U-turn and drove away. He pulled over and got out to check on his truck, noticing a bullet hole in the pillar that separates the front and backseats. He then noticed his dog was bleeding behind its right ear. He took the dog to a nearby veterinary office, and an X-ray showed that there was a bullet inside its skull.

The victim provided a description of the suspect to police, which soon led to the arrest of 44-year-old Charles Bray. According to court documents, he admitted that he was in an argument with the victim but didn’t want to incriminate himself and invoked his rights to remain silent and to request an attorney. During a search warrant at Bray’s apartment, detectives reportedly found a gun and a green long-sleeved shirt that the victim had described him to be wearing.

Police say Bray also has a felony warrant out of Indiana and multiple felony convictions that don’t allow him to carry a gun. He faces various charges including firing a gun in city limits, endangerment, prohibited possession, drive-by shooting, aggravated assault, firing a gun at a non-residence, and inflicting an injury on an animal. He’s being held on a $100,000 bond.

According to police, the dog survived the shooting.