Louisiana: "It was a horrific event. He shot the dog up close and blew her skull apart in front of my children. Like her eyeballs were out of her head." Family says Evangeline Parish Sheriff's Deputy killed 12-pound dog

LOUISIANA -- One Ville Platte family is looking for answers after they say a deputy from the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office shot and killed their son’s dog.

The deputy was responding to their complaint about alleged harassment from a neighbor when the small dog got out.

 

Facebook users are identifying the deputy as Kalinsky Ardoin

In a report, the deputy said the 12-pound dog aggressively charged at the deputy three times, after which he felt the need to shoot it.

  

The family who owned the dog said this wasn’t the case.

"I know in my heart he didn't have to shoot her. He didn't have to shoot that dog in front of my kids. He just didn't,” said Kelli Sullivan.

 

 

The dog was 12 pounds, and Sullivan says about ankle height on most people. She said the dog did not seem like a threat to the officer. She said after the deputy had taken care of a neighborhood disturbance, her son’s dog escaped from their house.

"The dog got out. I walked to the end of the driveway to try to catch her. My daughter was running around trying to catch her. I thought we were going to go back in the house. I walked back to the house opened the door, turned around, (and) boom, he shot her," Sullivan said.

"It was a horrific event. He shot the dog up close and blew her skull apart in front of my children. Like her eyeballs were out of her head."

According to Sullivan, the dog had no history of biting and was behaving normally for a dog of her breed.

“She was around his feet like she always does--like to the mailman--if she gets out. Anybody who comes by, she’s going to bark at you," said Sullivan.

Sullivan said the deputy told her it was better that he shoot the dog than to have to sue her if the dog was to bite [him]

“He said 'I had to shoot her she came at me'. Then, he said, 'It’s really a shame I had to waste that bullet because it’s a really expensive bullet,'” said Sullivan, recounting the event.

KATC reached out to the sheriff’s office, but as of Tuesday evening, we have not received a response.

 

 

Section 612 of the Evangeline Parish Sheriff’s Office policy titled Use of Force Discharge of Firearm that went into effect on February 15, 2017, states in part, “A deputy of this department may only use deadly force when he believes that it is necessary to defend his own life".

In a month of Sundays, this little dog could not have killed this officer by ankle biting him. Therefore, he broke Sheriff's Office policy regarding the use of deadly force.

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(KATC - Nov 1, 2017)