Lehigh Acres man steps in front of a gun to save his dog

A man said he stepped in between his dog and a gun as a person tried to steal her.

Gabriel said it happened as he was walking Lulu, a Shih-Tzu Yorkie mix, with his sister, right by the Dollar General on State Road 82 in Lehigh Acres.

Gabriel was ready to hand over his phone and his wallet, but to his surprise, the guy with the gun only wanted one thing: his dog.

Gabriel said the adrenaline took over, and without hesitation, he stepped in front of the gun to shield his sister and their dog.

He said the gunman eventually gave up and ran off.

“I was expecting, like, maybe, ‘Give me your phone or some money.’ But my dog? It’s the last thing I would expect,” Gabriel said.

For the four years that Lulu has been a part of Gabriel’s family, he’s walked her along State Road 82 toward the Dollar General, every evening, and the guy with the gun is someone Gabriel has never seen before.

The only thing Gabriel remembers saying at the moment was urging the man, who he said is in his late teens or early 20s, to calm down.

Gabriel said the man eventually took off running toward the residential area behind the Dollar General.

“I’m always like cautious now. I’m always looking, and we go in the day around five. We go earlier now because, around 6, it starts to get dark, so it’s probably not the best idea to go at that time anymore,” he said.

Whoever the guy is he’s still out here, and Gabriel is not only mindful of that, but he has a message for him.

“It’s not worth it, a dog or even a phone, anything that’s materialistic, it’s not worth it to try to rob somebody or even kill them just for that,” Gabriel said.

WINK News did try to see if the businesses nearby had surveillance video from Sunday evening, but they said their cameras were not pointing in the right direction.

Neighbors behind these businesses also told us their cameras didn’t catch the dog thief, but they also told us they’re going to be more mindful on their walks moving forward.