Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio is mobilizing his mounted posse to the Salt River in the Tonto National Forest to search for additional evidence in the shooting death of a wild horse this past weekend. Arpaio said the mounted posse will be on the ground as early as tomorrow (Oct. 26).

John Schill of the Schill Law Group is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. A year ago, a reward was offered for information when another Salt River wild horse, Dotty, was found dead of shotgun wounds.

“This is a crime that goes beyond animal cruelty,” said Arpaio. “Killing an innocent horse is as dangerous as it is disturbing. What else is this person capable of doing? We need to end this senseless slaughter of wild horses.”

The Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to identify the suspect(s) involved in the shooting of three Salt River Horses.

On Friday, Oct. 21, at about 6 p.m., a subject believed to be male and described as wearing black shorts and a dark green shirt was at a location called Pirates Island. The subject was seen shooting three Salt River horses.

Witnesses said they saw one of the horses in the river down in the water thrashing about and witnessed two other horses get hit with rounds from a rifle or shot gun. The subject followed after the horses as they fled. Two other individuals are believed to have been with the subject who shot the horses.

Deputies with the Lake Patrol Division responded to the call and scoured the area, enlisting the help of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s office aviation division. They searched the area for hours but were not able to locate a subject matching the description.

On Saturday, Oct. 22, a dead Salt River horse was located in the area of the shooting. Deputies from the Animal Crimes Unit were called out to the scene along with a Veterinarian.

A foal, about seven to 10 months old, had gunshot wounds to the side of his neck and head. It is believed the subject used a shotgun. With witness accounts it is believed two other Salt River horses may also be injured or dead.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation is asked to please contact Det. Dave Trombi, 602-876-1011 or 602-876-1681.