A West Virginia man is facing felony charges for allegedly shooting and killing a horse in Kanawha County.

Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Cpl. Brian Humphreys said that on Feb. 24 law enforcement personnel responded to 911 calls about shots being fired. Investigators subsequently found 31 spent cases from .223-caliber rifle rounds, he said. During the investigation, law enforcement personnel noticed a horse standing in a nearby field, Humphreys said.

"(The horse) was walking wounded, but we didn’t know that at the time," Humphreys said.

Later the same day, Humphreys said, another deputy responded to a call from the horse’s caretaker who reported finding the animal wounded from an apparent gunshot. The caretaker also reported finding a horse dead on the property as the result of apparent gunshot, Humphreys said