SAN ANTONIO – A far north Bexar County man is demanding answers after his beloved dog, Artemis, was shot and killed in his neighborhood.
Cristian Salinas-Skahan said his dog died hours after a veterinarian told his family Artemis had been shot in the spine.
Salinas-Skahan said a family member took Artemis outside in the afternoon on Jan. 22 and let him roam in the neighborhood off Rustic Oak near Smithson Valley Road.
“That day, a family member took him out... and he was not paying attention,” Salinas-Skahan said. “(Artemis) ended up running off, and next thing you know ... he found him crawling towards the house. His spine was completely shattered.”
Salinas-Skahan said his family first thought Artemis had been hit by a car, but veterinarians at the animal hospital told them he had suffered a single gunshot wound.
“Where this bullet was placed was so precisely put to lose control of its legs,” Salinas-Skahan said. “It was intentional. One hundred percent.”
Artemis inspired video game counterpart
Salinas-Skahan said he was born with prune belly syndrome, a rare condition that can cause kidney failure. He said the diagnosis has left him feeling like he’s “been living by a thread” with a constant sense that “this is where it ends.”
“I actually went into a really bad mental state,” he said. “And the thing that helped me out the most was my dog. It was Artemis.”
That bond led to a wish from the Bungie Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Bellevue-based video game studio Bungie.
Salinas-Skahan asked for both him and Artemis to be immortalized in Bungie’s flagship title “Destiny 2.”
In 2022, Bungie did it.
Artemis even inspired an in-game robotic dog, Archie, which Destiny 2 players could interact with, according to reporting by Dexerto, a video game and entertainment news website. Bungie also released plushies for Artemis and Archie.
Artemis’ in-game character became well known in the online community, and word of the dog’s death has spread far beyond San Antonio.
A post on X, formerly Twitter, by Dexerto has drawn more than 4 million views and thousands of likes.
Authorities still looking for leads in the investigation
But even with that attention, the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office told KSAT there is no evidence at this time to prove where Artemis was shot or who pulled the trigger.
The agency said deputies respond to multiple animal cruelty calls every day.
Under Texas law, intentionally causing serious injury or death to an animal is a felony offense. A person accused of intentionally torturing, killing or causing serious bodily injury to a pet could face a third-degree felony charge.
Salinas-Skahan said he wants whoever is responsible held accountable and removed from the neighborhood.
“I need accountability,” he said. “I need them out of my neighborhood.”
Anyone with information about what happened to Artemis is urged to contact the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office at 210-335-6000.