A Raleigh family
is mourning the death of their 9-year-old dog, Zelda.
The Wake County Sheriff’s Office said the dog bit a deputy who was serving a civil process warrant at the home on Lord Berkley Road. The sheriff’s office doesn’t deny that the deputy shot and killed Zelda, and that deputy is on leave pending a further investigation.
But homeowner Paige Briggs said her security video raises questions about whether that shooting was necessary.
In the video, which Briggs shared with WRAL News, the Wake County deputy is clearly visible on the porch. He opens the storm door, knocks and calls out to see if anyone is home.
Briggs said she was out of town, her husband at work, and their four kids at school when the deputy walked through their unlocked front door at 10:21 a.m.
“I believe that’s a violation. He had no right to enter my home,” Briggs said.
The dog can be heard barking off camera.
Briggs said, “She’s very protective, as she should be.
“Our dog
Zelda is confined to the kitchen,” Briggs pointed out. “You would have to open a door to even get to
her.”
After about a minute, four shots ring out and the deputy shouts.
Zelda, a Belgian Malinois, died from gunshot wounds.
The Briggs’ cameras kept recording as deputies and Raleigh police officers arrived.
The original deputy can be heard explaining why he entered the home and what happened inside.
“There were some doors open,” he says, “Initially I am thinking
things in weird areas, unkept, made me
think a break-in.
Then he explains
why he shot the dog.
“He
came right at me, I put my leg out like this, that’s when he bit me and I had to
unfortunately shoot him,” the deputy says.
Briggs told WRAL News that it’s not unusual for the house to be a mess, lights on and doors
unlocked with four kids and a lot of rushing around, but she says the deputy had no
right to enter the home.
“The dog let him know she was there,” Briggs said. “He told a bold-faced lie. The dog couldn’t have got to him if he wouldn’t have sought her
out.”
Sheriff Willie Rowe said why the deputy entered the home is part of an ongoing investigation.
“We understand this is a difficult situation for all involved, and
we recognize the pain this dog’s owner is experiencing. The incident is being
reviewed in accordance with our agency’s policies and procedures,” Rowe said.
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