A New Jersey pet store is now at the center of an attempted homicide investigation after its owner was shot in the face with a crossbow - just weeks after a $7,000 parrot was stolen from her.
The owner of Birds by Joe 2 in Saddle Brook was shot in the face by an attacker using a crossbow on Monday night, according to a press release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. The attacker fled the scene.
Birds by Joe 2 later identified the victim as their owner, Katarina, on social media. Previous media reports have identified her as Katarina Rukavishnikova. She was taken to the hospital in stable condition on Monday and has since been released, NJ Advance Media reports.
Rukavishnikova told NJ Advance Media her attacker was a regular. He walked into the store while talking to himself before the attack Monday night, she added.
“He’s a repeat customer,” she said. “He shot me without any warning. He didn’t say anything.”
“When I got close to him I saw the crossbow and he shot me in the face with the arrow,” she added.
The attack comes after a $7,000 African Grey parrot was stolen from the store last month. Security footage shared on social media shows the alleged thief bringing the parrot up to the counter inside a carrier and then bolting with it moments later.
Police ultimately recovered the parrot earlier this month in Paterson, New Jersey thanks to tips they received, according to NJ Advance Media. A suspect has since been charged with theft.
The shooting was unrelated to the earlier alleged parrot theft, NJ Advance Media reports.
Saddle Brook Police Chief John Zotollo told The Independent his office is investigating the shooting alongside the prosecutor’s office. He did not provide further updates beyond the initial statement released Monday night by the prosecutor’s office.
