North Carolina’s ‘local legend’ arrested after allegedly shooting son’s animal

A North Carolina “horseman of the year” has been arrested after he allegedly shot his son’s horse dead during an argument.

John Victor Russell, 75, has been charged with two felonies after the shooting, police said. The shooting came a month after he was recognized for his services to horses during a ceremony in Tryon, North Carolina.

Russell was arrested at his home near Columbus, North Carolina, on 5 July, WYFF reported, after sheriff’s deputies responded to reports of a fight involving gunfire.

“When deputies arrived, they found several people on the property and determined that a dispute happened between Russell and his son, resulting in gunfire and the death of a horse that the son had been riding,” John J Suave, Polk county sheriff’s office spokesperson, told WYFF.

The Chronicle of the Horse, a horse news website, reported that Russell has been charged with felony cruelty to animals and assault on a person with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

Russell was described as a “legendary horse trainer” by WYFF. The news outlet reported that the Russell family is well known in the Tryon area “with an equestrian legacy of horse training in the community”.

A Tyron International Equestrian Center profile of Russell, who is known as “Vick”, described him as a “local legend”, while a 2022 article in The Horse Country Quarterly said Russell was a “renaissance horseman”.

Russell’s history with horses was recognized in June, when he was crowned “horseman of the year” by the Carolinas Show Hunter Hall Of Fame.

The Carolinas Show Hunter Hall of Fame did not respond to a request for comment from the Guardian. It is unclear if Russell will retain his title now he has been accused of shooting a horse.