City officials in Missouri are defending a police officers decision to fatally shoot a mans blind and deaf Shih Tzu after the small dog escaped from his backyard.
Disturbing body camera footage obtained by ABC 17 News shows the officer repeatedly shooting the small dog, named Teddy, as it stumbled around a womans open backyard in Sturgeon, located north of Columbia, on Sunday evening.
Im at a loss, Teddys distraught owner, Nicholas Hunter, told HuffPost by phone Friday. It still hasnt kicked in, the reality of it.
A homeowner who lived near Hunter found Teddy in her yard. Fearing he was lost and in distress, she called the city and took photos of him sitting by a water bowl, which were shared on the citys Facebook page.
Hunter said he rushed to the scene after getting a call from a friend about Teddys escape while he was out with friends.
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The dog drank water from a bowl I provided and licked my arm and leg. He was in no way a threat, the homeowner, who declined to share her name publicly out of fear of retaliation, told HuffPost. She said her interactions with Teddy had been anything but dangerous.
When Hunter confronted the officer about the shooting, he said the officer threatened him with a loose dog citation. In a later conversation, he said the officer told him that his dog was killed not because Teddy was a public threat but because he looked injured or abandoned.
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I thought the dog was hurt so it was the humane thing to do, to put him down, Hunter said the officer told him, referring to Teddys unusual appearance and movements.
He carried his head sideways and he walked funny because he cant see or hear. The vet diagnosed him with a neurological issue, which was the cause of him going deaf and blind, Hunter said of Teddy, who was 5.
In the body camera footage, Hunter is seen emotionally confronting the officer, who defends his actions, saying the city doesnt have a humane society and that he was responding to the situation with limited information.
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