Officer Shoots Chihuahua In Face In Front Of Dog Owner, Fired

A deputy police officer was fired after he was caught on video shooting a chihuahua in Arkansas, Faulkner County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Sunday.

“Since taking office in 2017, I have been an advocate of integrity, professionalism and transparency. I hold my Deputies to the highest of standards to protect and serve the residents of our community. Unfortunately, a Deputy fell short to those standards,” Sheriff Tim Ryals wrote on the office’s Facebook page.

The post added: “As a result of the incident that occurred on January 4, 2019, in the Shiloh Estates Subdivision, Deputy Keenan Wallace has been relieved of his duties at the Faulkner County Sheriff’ Office. We in Law Enforcement answer calls every day that require split second life and death decisions. We strive to be right 100 percent of the time.”

The incident took place when Wallace was responding to a compliant of an aggressive dog at Shiloh Estates subdivision in Conway, located about 30 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas. In a video recorded by Doug Canady, the owner of the property as well the dog, Wallace is seen asking the former to come outside the house or he was going to shoot the two dogs barking at his heels if they get too aggressive.

When Canady refused to come out of the house and entered into an argument with the officer instead, Wallace shot one of the dogs. The canine was seen yelping in pain and rolling around on the grass following the gunfire.

“Are you f-----g kidding me?” Canady was seen shouting immediately after the shooting. “You’re f-----g kidding me.”

As the dog whimpered and twitched on the ground, the officer approached Canady with a nonchalant demeanor, telling him that he did exactly what he said he will do if the owner did not comply with his orders. Canady, who kept on filming, told the officer he wanted to call his lawyer as well as the local sheriff.

"I'm recording you right now. I just recorded you shooting that dog in front of me putting me in danger,” Canady told the officer, who replied, "No, I didn't, the shot hit the dog, what I aimed at."

The dog sustained a broken jaw and was transported to the veterinarian for treatment. Myranda Dixson, one of the neighbors in the area, said the news that Reeses – the chihuahua – was shot would upset the children living in the area who loved playing with the dog.

“She's a friendly dog. She's sweet. She doesn't bite people. I was kind of shocked and sad because the police officers, they usually don't shoot dogs like that. And it was a little dog, so they could just kick it out of the way if it was barking too much,” she told ABC7.

Ryals also offered their prayers for the dog’s speedy recovery through the post. “Our Department is sadden about this incident and apologize for any distress and disappointment this incident has caused anyone who was affected by this disheartening event. We will keep Reeses in our thoughts through the recovery process,” the post said.