An Arkansas K-9 handler has been fired after he was caught on video shooting a yapping, playful Chihuahua in the head as the dog’s carer looked on in disbelief.
Faced with the energetic pup, Faulkner County Sheriff’s Deputy Keenan Wallace’s first instinct was apparently to shoot the poor creature directly in the face, shattering its jaw, to the horror of carer Doug Canady, who rescued “Reeses” three years ago and nursed the “skinny little malnutritioned dog” back to health. The chihuahua became a neighborhood dog, which played with kids and was loved by the locals.
WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO
In the video, Wallace is greeted by two local chihuahuas, which yap and jump around excitedly outside his home. After directing Canady to move, Wallace shoots Reeses – who never got closer than a foot from the deputy, raising questions about how exactly the man was employed as a K-9 handler. The dog screams and writhes in agony as its owner tries to process what he has just seen.
Wallace was “relieved of his duties” on Saturday, according to a Facebook post from Faulkner County Sheriff Tim Ryals, who wrote “there were numerous opportunities to de-escalate the incident” and that the officer’s actions “fell short” of police standards. Although he believes “no policies or laws were violated,” Ryals plans to refer the incident to the prosecuting attorney’s office.
Canady caught the whole horrific scene on film after coming home to find police at his residence. A standoff earlier that Friday with an armed woman – who also, incredibly, pointed a gun at the hapless Reeses – led to her calling the police about an “aggressive dog” on his property, claiming he had tried to attack her.
Also on rt.com Teacher who fed puppy to snapping turtle found not guilty of animal crueltyAdding insult to injury, Wallace or a second deputy who arrived on the scene later left a citation for violating an animal ordinance on his property. Reeses survived and is in stable condition, though his jaw was shattered by the gunshot. “That’s a tough little dog,” said Canady, who wants justice for Reeses: “This man's actions should not go unpunished.”
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