Man kills bartender’s dog over non-kosher cocktail

A Jewish man shot a bartender and killed his dog after he was served a non-kosher cocktail.

Monte Leon Hanson, 59, of Hamilton, Montana, has been charged with a felony charge of attempted deliberate homicide and a misdemeanour count of animal cruelty after he allegedly shot bartender Joe Lewis, also his neighbour, and killed Lewis’ dog, as reported by The Missoulian.

The incident happened in the early hours of 9 May, the morning after Lewis had mixed a Red Beer cocktail for Hanson, a drink made with beer and tomato juice, at the Rainbow Bar. Hanson later discovered the cocktail had been made using Clamato tomato juice – a drink made with a shellfish broth and which is non-kosher.

Hanson is said to have become angry, saying that it was against his religion to drink Clamato, according to the affidavit.

That morning, he reportedly followed Lewis out of their apartment block as he was taking out his dog. A couple then reported hearing gunshots and soon after found Lewis holding his dog, dead from a gunshot wound to his head. Lewis also was injured from the gunshots but will recover from his wounds.

Lewis, 29, had been carrying the dog at the time as he had a leg injury, which is said to have protected him from some of the bullets.