A Kentucky woman hired an accomplice to shoot a stranger at a Wendy’s restaurant after he picked a fight with her over her dog escaping from its leash, police said.
Carrington Bagwell, 23, was arrested on Monday as part of an investigation into the January shooting, according to a Facebook post by the Louisville Metro Police Department. According to local CBS affiliate WLKY, during her arraignment on Tuesday, her charges were upgraded from second-degree complicity assault to first-degree assault.
Police say Bagwell directed 41-year-old Gary Ross, who was arrested on May 6, to accompany her to a Wendy’s in Louisville on January 4 and shoot a stranger with whom she had recently argued about her dog.
According to Louisville police, officers responded to the shooting that afternoon and discovered the alleged victim, a man in his twenties, with gunshot wounds in his arm and buttocks. The injuries were not life-threatening, so he was transported to the hospital for treatment. He was expected to recover.
According to the arrest documents, Bagwell and her accomplice were identified after reviewing surveillance video and interviewing witnesses. According to Louisville police, the alleged victim was arguing with another male in the Wendy’s parking lot when the verbal altercation escalated and he was shot, allegedly by Ross. Police said the suspect fled the scene before they arrived.
According to court documents obtained by WKLY and local NBC affiliate WAVE, the conflict began earlier that day when Bagwell and the alleged victim got into a heated argument. According to the documents, Bagwell’s dog became loose, and as she attempted to regain control of the dog, she and the alleged victim got into a verbal argument.
Bagwell then went home and told her co-defendant, Ross, about the incident, and they went back to Wendy’s together, allegedly to confront the other man about the fight. According to local Fox affiliate WDRB’s coverage of the documents, Bagwell allegedly encouraged Ross to shoot the man.
According to WKLY, Bagwell was released from jail after posting a portion of her $50,000 bond. She is due back in court on June 10. Ross was charged with first-degree assault and possessing a handgun as a felon. He didn’t have a release date listed.
