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New details in the investigation of a weekend shooting that left a Pleasanton resident in the hospital and another man behind bars suggest that the incident stemmed from a report of possible animal abuse at the victim’s home, police revealed Monday.
The suspect, Joshua Kaplan, is currently being held at the Santa Rita Jail without bail and awaits an arraignment hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning. The 50-year-old’s social media presence indicates he’s a dog trainer local to the Tri-Valley, but Pleasanton police confirmed he does not live in the city.
The victim, a 71-year-old man whose name is being withheld, is currently in stable condition despite having been shot multiple times, police said Monday. He was transported to a trauma center for treatment of life-threatening injuries following the shooting Saturday afternoon.
“At this time, we are still investigating the history and relationships between all involved parties,” Pleasanton police Lt. Brandon Stocking said in a statement to the Weekly.
According to police, witnesses said the incident started when Kaplan went to the victim’s home located in the 3600 block of Vineyard Avenue at around 3 p.m. Saturday to confront the older man about alleged animal abuse. The Alameda County Inmate Locator lists Kaplan’s current occupation as dog trainer.
Per witness statements, at some point the victim retrieved a shotgun, but it is still unclear what escalated the initial confrontation and led Kaplan to shoot the 71-year-old at least six times, according to police. Stocking said it appears that the victim did not fire his weapon.
“When police officers arrived on scene, Kaplan surrendered without incident and the victim received immediate medical assistance,” according to a PPD press release from Monday.
Stocking added that Kaplan had a permit authorizing him to carry a concealed weapon.
PPD is currently investigating the animal abuse allegations, although according to Stocking, there were “no obvious signs of injury to the dog when animal services took custody of it”.
According to PPD, the dog was taken to the East County Animal Shelter in Dublin as the investigation continues.
Throughout various social media posts, some residents have said there is a video showing the confrontation between the suspect and the victim. However, Stocking did not confirm the existence of such a video and instead asked the public to share any evidence anyone might have related to the shooting.
“This remains an active investigation,” Stocking said. “If there is any video related to animal abuse allegations, or video footage of the altercation or shooting, we encourage witnesses to provide this to investigators.”
While Kaplan was booked into the Dublin jail Sunday morning on suspicion of attempted murder and shooting at an inhabited dwelling or vehicle, formal charges have not yet been confirmed to the Weekly by the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.
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