Yah... The “cruelty” charge is a little bizarre. Shooting an animal cannot be construed as cruel in any legal, theoretical or practical sense. Unless of course they were deliberately shooting to wound or using a weapon inappropriate to the type of animal, none of which is in evidence here.
That said, its clearly a bad neighborly thing to do. Plenty of other felonies to construct here I should think.
That is not cruel is it? To slaughter some one else's livestockSo I can shoot your dog if he comes in my yard.
in a ranching community
is cruel and not real neighborly.
The definition includes acts of: 1) knowingly torturing an animal; or 2) knowingly and needlessly killing, mutilating, or inflicting serious physical harm on an animal. From the Colorado Revised Statutes
Aggravated cruelty to animals.