Salma Hayek: Cops Say Neighbor Had Right to Shoot Dog

Salma Hayek's beloved dog was shot and killed by a neighbor, TMZ has learned, and cops have closed the case because the dog was trespassing on his property.

As we reported, Salma's 9-year-old dog, Mozart, was found dead last week at her Washington state ranch.

Cops launched an investigation and tell us Salma's neighbor confessed to shooting the dog, but there were extenuating circumstances. The neighbor told police he was sick of her dogs coming onto his property and attacking his dogs, which he says happened every time Salma's caretaker took the pets for a walk.

The neighbor told cops... several of Salma's dogs were in his garage on the day in question ... and he used a pellet gun to scare the animals away. The neighbor said he had no intention of killing any of the animals and cops also believe the pellet gun ordinarily would not be lethal.