A sheriff’s deputy in Arkansas has been stripped of his badge after he was recorded shooting a small dog in the face during a service call Friday.
Faulkner County Sheriff’s Deputy Keenan Wallace was fired Saturday after county investigators reviewed cellphone video that showed him discharging his service weapon at a barking Chihuahua.
The dog, affectionately called Reese’s, survived but continued to receive emergency treatment for a shattered jaw as of Sunday afternoon, according to a GoFundMe page created to cover the cost of her veterinary expenses.
Wallace had been responding to a complaint in Conway, roughly 30 miles northwest of Little Rock, about an allegedly aggressive dog in a resident’s yard.
Doug Canady told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that it all began when a woman pointed a gun toward his home and at Reese’s. Canady said he rescued the stray dog about three years ago when he found her near his home.
The woman eventually put the gun away but allegedly told Canady that she planned to call the authorities, claiming Reese’s had tried to attack her.
After a heated exchange with the woman, Canady said he then went to a gas station. He returned to find the deputy’s vehicle parked near his home. That’s when Canady decided to film the interaction, he said.
Warning: The video below may be graphic to some viewers.
In the video, which has gone viral since Canady posted it to his Facebook page on Friday, two small dogs can be seen barking and wagging their tails as Wallace approaches.
“Okay, I’m going to come to you,” Wallace tells Canady. “If the dog gets aggressive, I’m going to shoot.”
Seconds later, a shot rings out and a tiny, tan and brown dog begins yelping and writhing on the ground. Wallace then pulls out a stun gun and walks toward Canady.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Canady shouts. “I’m recording you right now. I just recorded you shooting that dog in front of me, putting me in danger.”
“No, I didn’t. The shot hit the dog, what I aimed at,” responded Wallace, who had been a K-9 handler for the force.
Though an internal investigation conducted by the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Office found Wallace’s actions did not violate any policies or laws, Sheriff Tim Ryals said he believes there had been “numerous opportunities to de-escalate the incident.”
“I have been an advocate of integrity, professionalism and transparency,” Ryals wrote in a Facebook post Saturday. “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.”
He added: “Our Department is sadden [sic] 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.”
Neighborhood children described Reese’s as “friendly” and “sweet” in interviews with KATV. She is expected to undergo surgery on Monday to repair her shattered jaw and remove bone fragments that traveled to her stomach as a result of the injury, Canady told KATV.
Canady told the Democrat-Gazette that his “heart broke” when Wallace shot Reese’s ― and that he feared for his own safety.
“How unstable do you have to be to shoot a little dog?” Canady said through tears during an interview with a local Fox affiliate. “I thought I was a tough guy until that happened.”