WALTON COUNTY, Fla. — A Walton County family lost their home to a fire and their dog to a deputy’s gunshot on the same mid-August night.
Firefighters said the family dogs were aggressive and keeping them away from the burning home. The family says bodycam audio reveals a callous attitude about killing their pet.
On the evening of Aug. 15, Walton County Fire Rescue rolled up to a raging fire at a home on Mixon Road in Mossy Head. The home belonged to the Pylant family.
Walton County Fire Rescue’s incident report says two bulldogs “refused to allow access and were very aggressive,” forcing personnel to “take refuge” in the truck as the fire raged.
They called for assistance from the Walton County Sheriff’s Office. When Sergeant Kyle Hutto arrived, the report says Walton County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Mike Griggs “requested the deputy put the dog down, which he did with a shot from his service weapon.”
That’s not exactly the language used in real life. The sheriff’s office released bodycam audio and dashcam video.
Walton County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Mike Griggs can be heard saying, “Kill that m———- dog. If you don’t shoot him, I’ll shoot him.”
Sergeant Hutto replies, “I got it.”
Then, there is the sound of gunshots and someone saying, “Aha, you little son of a b—–.”
For the family, hearing the audio was a dagger through their already broken hearts.
The Pylants’ daughter, Jessica Cafini said, “I actually cried after I heard that video on my way to work…Dogs should not be shot for barking, and that’s what the dashcam showed was the dogs barking.”
The dog that was shot and killed was named Bella. Another dog, Athena, ran away and survived.
The family says the pain didn’t stop with the gunshots. Bodycam recordings captured a subsequent conversation between Sergeant Hutto and Field Training Officer Deputy Connor Gunn, talking about another officer’s reaction.
“You killed that f—— dog,” one says.
The exchange continues with one person saying, “Tell her to go over there and drag that sum—– to the woods.”
Someone says, “There’s another one right there if she wants to shoot it.”
Then, “I think I can hit it from here,” and the sound of laughter.
Then, the two joke about what the homeowner will find when he returns.
The bodycam audio continues: “You know what really sucks? This man’s gonna f—— come home to see his house burnt down and his f—– dogs are dead, and he’s gonna be like g——- Sheriff’s Office…”
Later they say: “Where’s the dead one at?” “Right there in the driveway”.
There is more laughter, then a deputy says, “He’s literally gonna pull up and be like ‘My house! My dog!'”
After more laughter, someone says, “Ran it over…sorry,” and they laugh again.
“Obviously I’m sad about Bella, but it just makes it worse that these are the people that are supposed to be there to protect and serve,” Cafini said. “And I just don’t feel that — it almost makes me feel that I can’t call law enforcement for help when this is who — we don’t know if we’re going to get a bad cop or a good cop.”
She says Bella was her father’s baby, a gentle soul. She hopes the family’s loss will lead to better training and more compassion.
Walton County Sheriff’s Office records show 32 calls to the address since 2016 for issues ranging from trespassing to a “wanted person”.
They say while the shooting falls within their use-of-force standards, the deputies’ conduct was not acceptable. The two have been disciplined, though the punishment was not specified.
The sheriff’s office notes that “The body-worn camera released by our agency in multiple public record requests contains only audio because of a malfunction with the camera where it became dislodged in the carrier and the lens was blocked. The video has been published by concerned members of our community and the owner of the dogs/ home involved in the incident. Because other deputies did not have an emergent response to the scene, there is only one other in-car video and body-worn video of a deputy who responded later and spoke with the dog/homeowner.”
Their statement continues:
Under Walton County Sheriff’s Office Use of Force standards, the shooting portion of the incident falls within policy.
As it pertains to the audio in the body-worn camera, discipline has been handed down to the two deputies involved in the exchange.
As a Field Training Officer and Sergeant, they are expected to model the behavior and values of the agency and they did not.
Their conversation lacked empathy, compassion, and courtesy and is not a representation of the men and women of this agency who work day in and day out to serve the Walton County community.
We understand and echo the sentiment from the community that this conversation causes a lack of trust in our organization as a whole. One we have tried diligently to earn.
That, we do not take lightly. We are taking a good hard look at ourselves and are acknowledging shortcomings and ways we can improve.
The discipline imposed affects both of these individuals as it pertains to their careers and potential promotions and will stay in their personnel files for the rest of their time in law enforcement.
You can read the initial statement released by the Walton County Sheriff’s Office here.
Sheriff Mike Adkinson addressed the issues on his Monday live Q&A, which can be viewed on the Walton County Sheriff’s Office YouTube Channel.
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