HOUSTON – A man is recovering from gunshot wounds after he was shot while walking his dog in the Heights area.
Piotr Lewandrowski said on Tuesday night he took his usual nightly walk with his usual walking companion, Choco, the family's rescue pit bull.
“It’s our family routine," said Lewandroski.
As he made his way back towards the house he said that a silver or tan four-door sedan pulled over and started firing gunshots at him and his dog.
“I was running away as far as I could, as fast as I could," said Lewandrowski.
He ran home covered in blood after he suffered gunshot wounds to his torso and leg. Choco was nowhere to be found.
“I saw her take off southbound on Cortland and that was the last time I saw her.”
Lewandrowski is OK and was released from the hospital. While he is recovering at home, Houston police are investigating who pulled the trigger. The family and neighborhood have also focused their attention on finding Choco.
Lisa Cari is part of the neighborhood effort to try to locate the dog. She helped to create a Facebook page, post flyers and organized a neighborhood grid search for the animal.
“I can only imagine how terrified that dog is," said Cari. “We want to bring her home. We want the family to feel safe again, we want the family to become whole again."
Volunteer with Friends For Life Adoption and Rescue Center, Christine McWilliams said that if you see the dog it is best to not try to catch her.
“The best thing for people to do is simply stand still, take a photograph and call the number on the flyer; that is the most,” said McWilliams.
The family is hopeful but said that the empty dog bed is a reminder that someone is missing in the Lewandrowski household.
“We don’t feel like a family without her.”