Welcome to Arrest Stories. A fifty-five-year-old Cocoa man faces felony charges after allegedly shooting a neighborhood cat that he claimed was damaging his vehicle. Here's what may have happened.
On November third, Freddie Underwood allegedly discharged a firearm at a cat in his neighborhood in Cocoa, Florida. According to authorities, Underwood told investigators the cat was messing with his car, prompting him to shoot the animal.
A concerned citizen contacted authorities that same day, reporting they believed their neighbor had shot a cat. The incident was captured on a residential security camera system, which recorded both audio and video evidence of the alleged shooting.
Sheriff Wayne Ivey of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office described the evidence during a Facebook video update, stating "A residential camera captured it on film where you could hear the gunshot, saw the cat scurrying over the fence. Our agent actually found blood on the fence."
Following the shooting, the injured cat fled the scene by running over a fence. Neighbors immediately began searching for the wounded animal, continuing their efforts for several weeks without success. Investigators discovered blood evidence on the fence where the cat had escaped.
The cat remained missing until November twenty-second, when authorities located the animal. The cat had survived the shooting incident with assistance from a concerned resident who provided care.
Sheriff Ivey addressed Underwood's stated justification for the shooting, saying "His little story was that the cat was doing damage to his car. No it wasn't, you just didn't like where the cat was so you decided to shoot it."
Underwood faces charges of unlawful discharge of a firearm and felony animal cruelty. His bond was set at six thousand dollars. Defense representatives noted that "Mr. Underwood has no prior criminal history, no failure to appears and he's a local resident in Brevard County."
A court appearance was scheduled for December twenty-third at one thirty in the afternoon. The case has generated significant response from neighbors and animal advocacy groups throughout the community.
All suspects presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. Do not take this report as factual, always verify facts. Thanks for watching Arrest Stories.