Man Shoots and Kills Chihuahua in "Self Defense"

Wow:

A 14-year-old Detroit girl is mourning the loss of her pet Chihuahua after her neighbor shot and killed it.

The teenage owner had let 1-year-old Jojo outside earlier, and went back to retrieve him when the shooting occurred.

The neighbor is claiming self-defense saying the dog charged him.

The guy was a licensed gun owner. The dog was a 1-year-old Chihuahua. It had to weigh about 5 pounds, maybe less. God almighty. That should bring charges, but it apparently did not:

Rudolph said police responded to the scene but after interviewing both the owner and the neighbor, officers concluded that he was within his right to use his firearm.

Put whatever feelings you have or don't have about the dog aside - how is it legal to discharge a firearm in a crowded neighborhood - to kill a chihuahua? Especially given that the owner was standing right there? Are we supposed to believe the guy actually believed he was in danger - to the point where he needed to defend himself with a firearm?

That is gun culture gone completely, cowardly, nuts.