Dogs Allegedly Shot during Hurricane Katrina
PHILLIPS: Louisiana's attorney general now investigating the accusations of mass killings in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The victims, all dogs, allegedly shot to death, some say by the people who were supposed to protect them, local police. CNN's Ed Lavandera has the story.</s>ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): When Katrina hit, residents of St. Bernard Parish fled for cover to Beauregard Middle School.</s>KIT BAUER, EVACUEE: A lot of people, about 50, 60 people, evacuated to that point and brought their animals with us, because they told us we could bring our animals.</s>LAVANDERA: But when it came time to evacuate, they had to leave their dogs behind.</s>BAUER: They up and told us then that we couldn't take any of the animals with us. which everybody went ballistic on, you know, because nobody -- that was like leaving your kids behind.</s>LAVANDERA: They left messages for rescuers, begging them to save the dogs they were forced to abandon, but their pleas were ignored and dogs were shot to death.</s>KIM DAVIS, ANIMAL RESCUER: Three dogs, a large one and two smaller ones, all lying in a pool of blood. It looks like they may have all been gathered together and shot together. This is hard. When dogs are shot like this, too, they don't die instantly, as you can see from the large amount of blood. They bleed to death.</s>LAVANDERA: No one knows for sure who killed the dogs. Animal rescuers say St. Bernard Parish sheriff's deputies did it. Sheriff Jack Stevens said he didn't order anyone to kill the dogs but admitted it was possible his deputies might have done it. He's referred the case to prosecutors.</s>JACK STEPHENS, SHERIFF OF SAINT BERNARD PARISH: Certainly not prepared to say without reservation that it wasn't one of our officers that did it. But what I do know is that it's a despicable act.</s>LAVANDERA: Christopher Acosta left his pitbull Mercedes at the school.</s>CHRISTOPHER ACOSTA, MERCEDES' OWNER: After I find out they shot these animals, I come back about three, four weeks later. I said, well, man -- you know, I was just going to get some closure. I'm going to go see my dog, you know. And when I got here, I checked every single animal. Every single one.</s>LAVANDERA: He didn't find her body, but on October 27, in a building about 20 feet away from where those dogs were killed two months earlier, there was barking. It was Mercedes.</s>KELLE DAVIS, RESCUED MERCEDES: This is the building I found her in. Right here. I started throwing her wet food, went up to her. She did eat out of my hand. And by this time, she was just very -- extremely trembling and very scared. Very scared.</s>LAVANDERA: They got to her just in time.</s>DAVIS: It was extremely emaciated. She just -- you could tell she had not had food for weeks.</s>ACOSTA: Come here, my girl. Come here, my girl.</s>LAVANDERA: Today, almost three months after he left her, Chris Acosta was reunited with Mercedes.</s>ACOSTA: Thank you so much.</s>DAVIS: Oh, you're welcome.</s>LAVANDERA: He doesn't know how or even when she escaped. He just knows he's happy to have her back.</s>ACOSTA: I love this animal with all my heart. And I'm just grateful to get her back. And if it wasn't for these people, maybe that would have never, ever been possible.</s>LAVANDERA: Ed Lavandera, CNN, New Orleans.</s>PHILLIPS: And, news from Hollywood, straight ahead, including confirmation of a big-time celebrity split. Sibila, tells us about it.</s>SIBILA VARGAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT CORRESPONDENT: You know, they're one of the most talked about celebrity couples in history, but are the rumors finally true? Have Nick and Jessica really split up? I'll have that and more when LIVE FROM returns.