A Copperas Cove man has been arrested on animal cruelty charges, accused of  shooting a dog’s eye out.

The owner of the dog called police after the incident happened at a home on Babb Street back on August 8.

He told officers he and the dog had been homeless and were staying with a man at that house doing odd jobs for him.

The owner of the dog told officers that the man he was staying with had gotten drunk and had accused him of taking his knife.

According to court papers, the dog’s owner told officers the man identified as Pete Inchae Rushford displayed a gun and told him to ” get in the car or I’ll shoot you.”

The victim left the yard and headed into a nearby wooded area, but his dog was tied to a tree in the yard.

He heard the dog yelping and went back to find the dog bleeding from the shoulder and one eye.

Police also took a statement from a witness who said he saw Rushford shoot the dog with a BB gun.

Police also reviewed veterinary  records and talked with the vet who treated the dog and noted that the dog would be permanently blind in her right eye.

Officers then obtained an arrest warrant for Rushford and took him into custody on Thursday.