Everyone talks about the weight difference between a husky and a coyote, but not the height difference. An eastern coyote is on average 22-25 inches at the shoulder and while typically are only 20-45 lb in weight, the heaviest recorded was 75 lb. A male husky is on average 21-24 inches tall at the shoulder and this one weighed 88 lb.

The main difference in size appears to be stockiness, and an animal's winter coat can disguise how stock it is/isn't.

So you have an animal that's in the same height range and has similar coloration to coyote, the only difference is it's heavier, which can be hard to notice at 50 - 100 yards.

If it wasn't for the harness, I'd say there was no fault on the hunter's part here. Even with the harness, I'd say I wanted to see it first before making a determination.

Edit: I would say the fact that the hunter gut shot the dog could indicate he didn't have the clearest view, in which case I'd agree he shouldn't have taken the shot