Popular Central Florida radio host Shannon Burke ( Real Radio 104.1 ) was arrested on Thursday night after being accused of shooting his wife and her dog.
According to police documents, Burke returned to his Altamonte Springs home to find that his wife's dog was loose. Angry, he picked up the dog while holding a .40 caliber gun. While waving the gun at the dog, the weapon discharged, with the bullet entering the dog's leg and then grazing his wife's head. The bullet then bounced around the room, according to Burke. Burke calmly called 911 to report the shooting. He insisted that he did not know the gun was loaded.
Click here to see raw video of Shannon Burke in court Friday
Photo gallery: Shannon Burke in court
According to Kim Cannaday with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, the 43-year-old Burke does not have a criminal history in the county and was a licensed gun owner. At a first appearance in a Seminole Circuit Court on Friday, prosecutors did note that Burke has been serving probation on a reckless driving charge.
"He did not mean to hurt anyone. It's just a tragic accident," Burke's attorney, Richard Hornsby, told FOX 35.
"There is no excuse," said Lt. James Clark with the Seminole County Sheriff's Office. "Whether or not they knew it was unloaded or not, an accident or not, the bottom line is we have an individual in and argument with his wife and has a gun in his hand," Clark added. "He endangered everyone with his carelessness."
Seminole County Judge Jerri L. Collins set bail at $10,000 and ordered that Burke be required to wear a monitoring device upon release. He had been expected to attend a station-related event on Saturday in Daytona Beach, leading a charity motorcycle ride as part of the annual Miss Monster festival. It is unknown whether or not he will attend.
Burke, host of the Shannon Burke Show , 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Real Radio 104.1 FM, has also been a past contributor of content to MyFoxOrlando.com, offering weekly video commentary between May and October of 2008.
Burke will remain in the Seminole County Jail overnight and could be transported to the Orange County Jail on Saturday for the probation violation. Burke's wife, Catherine, is still in the hospital. The dog, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, may lose its leg.
Burke faces charges of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and animal cruelty. Arraignment has been set for June 6.
BLOG It: Shannon Burke arrested
Transcript of call:
DISPATCH: 911
BURKE: I need, I need, I need an ambulance right away.
DISPATCH: And what's going on there?
BURKE: Aah, I was aah playing with a gun, I didn't know it was loaded, it went off, and I've hit my wife.
DISPATCH: OK
BURKE: She's hit in the head, she's all right. It just cut her skin and she's bleeding really bad.
DISPATCH: OK, hold on....
BURKE: Hurry Hurry Hurry Hurry Hurry Hurry Hurry Hurry Hurry
BURKE: (WHISPERING) Don't call anybody, don't.
DISPATCH: Fire Rescue
DISPATCH: It's Seminole with a medical, we're on the way.
DISPATCH: What's your emergency?
BURKE: Yeah. I need aah aah aah aah aah an ambulance.
DISPATCH: (INAUDIBLE)
BURKE: I was playing around with a gun that I didn't know was loaded and it went off and I skimmed the side of my wife's head. And she's bleeding really bad..
DISPATCH: Are you with her right now?
BURKE: Yeah I'm with her right now she's all right she's conscious she's good and we need somebody here
DISPATCH: We'll get 'em on the way.
DISPATCH: How old is she?
BURKE: Thank you.
DISPATCH: How old is she?
BURKE: She's aah 47.
DISPATCH: Is she conscious right now? Hello
BURKE:Yeah I'm here.
DISPATCH: Is she conscious right now?
BURKE: Yeah she conscious.
DISPATCH: Is she breathing right now?
BURKE: Yeah she's breathing, she's making a phone call.
DISPATCH: When did it happen?
BURKE: Just now... just now, just now.
DISPATCH: They're on with medical right now.
DISPATCH: Is the bleeding serious right now?
BURKE:It's pretty bad bleeding, but I think I've got it under control right now.
DISPATCH: Is she completely alert?
BURKE: Are you completely alert? Yes.
BURKE: Are you completely alert?
CATHERINE: I'm a little woozy.
BURKE: She's a little, she's getting getting woozy. Please hurry.
DISPATCH: Is there more than one wound?
BURKE: No, no, no, just one wound.
DISPATCH: I've got the paramedics on the way as of right now ok. I'm going to give you some instructions.
BURKE: All right
DISPATCH: Here's what I want you to do....I want you to take a clean dry cloth now. I want to confirm this, is there a is the bullet embedded?
BURKE: No no the bullet did not...there's nothing imbedded. I don't know. I don't think so. No.
DISPATCH: What I want you to do is I want you to take a clean dry cloth. First adding pressure to where she's injured. I want you to keep that pressure on there until the paramedics get there with you. If it keeps bleeding, you're probably not pressing hard enough. If it bleeds through that
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