GARDEN CITY, Idaho — Garden City Police are searching for a man they say shot at least one cat trapped inside a cage at a property near Alworth/Adams and 51st St.
The business owner, who asked not to be identified, told Idaho News 6 she was pulling up to her office on Feb. 15 when she heard about a half dozen shots fired — followed by the sound of cats screaming in distress.
WATCH | Witness recounts shock after alleged cat shooting in Garden City
“I was in extreme shock the second I saw him shoot down at them,” the woman said. "I leaned against my fence over here, and I noticed a bald man shooting at some cats that had been trapped in some cages. I instantly ran towards him. I pled with him multiple times, you know, ‘please give them to me. I'll take them off your hands.’ Nothing, he wouldn't. He said... he kept repeating to me that ‘these cats are doomed’,” she recalled.
The witness said she called police, but by the time officers arrived, the man — and the cats — were gone. She shared a photo she took at the scene that appears to show blood on the ground.
Police later identified the suspect as George Gebran of Eagle. According to a business website, Gebran owns a junk hauling company on the property where the alleged shooting occurred.
Authorities say Gebran is charged with one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor count of discharging a firearm within city limits.
READ MORE | Eagle man wanted on animal cruelty charge after alleged cat shooting in Garden City
“I couldn't process what was actually happening and that the cats that I care for were just bluntly being murdered in front of me,” she said.
She explained that she regularly puts food out for about a dozen cats that live in the area. All of them, she said, have been fixed through the Garden City Community Cats Project, a nonprofit that partners with businesses and homeowners to trap, neuter, and release feral cat colonies.
“They enjoyed having them. They keep the rats and the mice out of their business, and it's a perfect partnership,” she said.
RELATED COVERAGE | Garden Kitty: Non-profit works to lower cat population in Garden City
Donna Brown, who founded the Garden City Community Cats Project, said she was shocked and horrified when she heard about the alleged shooting.
“I want to see him be punished to the maximum,” Brown said.
The incident is also raising concerns among some neighbors about safety in the area.
“People are petrified that the cats are coming over here, finding something to eat, and being poisoned or trapped or shot,” Brown said.
As of March 4, police say they have not been able to locate the suspect and have asked anyone with information to come forward.
Tips can be submitted to Ada County Dispatch at 208-377-6790 or CrimeStoppers of Idaho at 208-343-COPS.
