A sheriff’s deputy from the US state of Tennessee is facing criminal charges and reportedly quit his job after he fatally shot seven dogs whose wellbeing he had been sent to check on.
Connor Brackin, 24, was on duty for the McNairy county sheriff’s office on 4 November when he was tasked with going to a home in Bethel Springs to check the condition of some dogs there, the Tennessee bureau of investigation (TBI) said in a recent statement.
The TBI said Brackin arrived and released one of the dogs to the person who called and asked for the animals’ welfare to be checked on, but the reasons for that were not made clear. Then, for reasons that remain under investigation, Bracken began firing his service gun and shot seven dogs on the property to death, the TBI alleged.
Local prosecutors on 7 November asked the TBI to investigate the animals’ killings. And on Tuesday, investigators obtained a warrant to arrest Brackin on seven counts of aggravated cruelty to animals as well as eight of reckless endangerment.
Brackin subsequently turned himself over to authorities at the jail operated by the sheriff’s office that employed him, and he was booked. He later bonded out of custody to await the resolution of the charges pending against him.
In Tennessee, aggravated cruelty to animals and reckless endangerment can each carry between one and six years in prison.
USA Today reported on Friday that Brackin had resigned from working for the McNairy sheriff’s office, citing information from the agency. He had worked at the sheriff’s office for nearly a month before his departure, according to the outlet.
The Guardian left a message requesting comment at a telephone number that was associated with Brackin and available on a public records database. The message was not immediately answered.
Bethel Springs is about 100 miles (161km) east of Memphis. It has a population of less than 750 people, according to the 2020 census.
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