Who is Salil Zaveri? Puerto Rican businessman shot dead dog for interrupting golf game, claims self-defense
A 60-year-old businessman, who happens to be a former resident of Long Island, has been arrested by the police in Puerto Rico for allegedly shooting a dog on a golf course. Police have said that the incident on Saturday, May 8, happened at the well-known Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Resort in coastal Río Grande.
It was revealed that the dog had run onto the course and grabbed a golf ball. At this point, accused Salil Zaveri shot the dog twice; after which he took the ball and hit it to the next hole; he then shot the dog again.
The incident occurred at 5:15 pm, and the police responded after receiving a distress call from the venue. A witness took a picture and video of the arrest; reporter David Begnaud broke the story on Twitter.
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Who is Salil Zaveri?
The police identified the suspect as Zaveri and said that he reportedly pulled out a 9mm gun when the dog interrupted the game as he was approaching the 17th hole. A local report also said that the golfers who were with Zaveri were shocked at his act.
Gabriel Redondo Miranda, prosecutor in the case, said, "He got in the cart and kept playing". The police have also released a picture of the suspect being cuffed, which has been shared on Twitter by Begnaud, the lead national correspondent for CBS This Morning.
Zaveri is also an investor who is Act 22er (an Act to Promote the Relocation of Investors to Puerto Rico).
A video of Zaveri being interrogated was also shared on Twitter, with Begnaud sharing it with the caption, "Another eyewitness sent this video of police interviewing the suspect at the golf resort."
Another eyewitness sent this video of police interviewing the suspect at the golf resort pic.twitter.com/qyNy7k2H2G
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) May 9, 2021
According to bio profile shared on Twitter, Zaveri reportedly has 40+ years of experience in sales and sales merchandise. He is the founder and CEO of Zaveri Consulting LLC and this firm reportedly serves as a source for "independent and unbiased resource to increasing sales, profits, optimizing your insurance portfolio and fundraising."
Bussinnes consultant in San Juan Puerto Rico from Mumbai India. pic.twitter.com/A9TfXdBpDu
— Louis River (@Luis2Rivera) May 9, 2021
Since the incident, Zaveri has given a statement to CBS in which he claimed self-defense. He said, "I couldn’t outrun it because the distance between us was too short." And added, "I took the first shot when the dog was less than 10 feet away and the dog rolled over but may have died slowly so I got out of the cart and took two more shots out of mercy."
According to Times Union, Zaveri first appeared in court on Sunday, May 9, 2021. At this time, he was released on $60,000 bond, however his passport and his driver's license have been seized.
The suspect is now expected to appear in court on May 19.