ROY, UTAH -- Roy City Police are investigating a horse shooting Saturday.
The owner, 78-year-old Gail Larsen, found his horse Cinnamon with two gunshot wounds to its forehead.
"You can find horses all over for sale but not ones broke really well and are really gentle," said Larsen.
Larsen bought Cinnamon 13 years ago with the intention of getting a horse gentle enough for his seven grandchildren and 29 great grand-children.
Cinnamon's biggest fan, according to Larsen, four-year-old great-granddaughter, Lydia.
"That was the hardest part was telling her because we had just been down here Friday," said Larsen. "She loved that horse. She thought that horse was hers. She’d tell you it’s hers."
She's been crying non-stop since hearing the news, according to the family. Lydia's older sister, 8-year-old Addisen Larson-Ware, has been supporting her.
"I said it's going to be alright. It's going to be okay," said Larsen-Ware.
Lydia doesn't understand how this could happen and frankly, neither do the adults.
"I don’t understand. I don’t understand why anybody would do that or could do that," said Larsen.
Detective Josh Taylor with Roy City Police has been talking to neighbors and trying to figure out who would do something like this.
"It's not something they want to hear that something has been killed nearby. I know a neighbor close by said the horse was very nice and they couldn’t believe someone would do that and they were kind of disturbed that someone would come out and shoot a horse of all things," said Taylor.
It's an incredibly concerning crime considering all of the other animals and families that live nearby.
"Who’s next? Me or the children going to school?" said Larsen.
The family is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.
