A dog was shot and killed by a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper on Sunday, but the law enforcement officer was cleared of any wrongdoing, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Monday evening.
The shooting happened around 11 a.m. Sunday at a home in Wedgefield, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.
According to the affidavit, the officer went to the home to deliver paperwork. There was no word on whether the paperwork had been delivered.
Dogs began barking as the officer slowly approached the home, according to both a witness and footage from the officer’s body-worn camera, the sheriff’s office said. The officer then turned to walk back to his patrol vehicle and “looked back just in time” to see a pit bull charging toward him after emerging from under the house, the release said.
The soldier shouted, “Go back!” and shot the dog to defend himself from the attack, the sheriff’s office said.
According to the release, the dog did not hurt the soldier. Other than the pit bull that died, no other injuries were reported.
A deputy responded to the home and interviewed the family who owned the dog as well as the officer. After an investigation, the sheriff’s office determined the trooper’s actions were justified as evidence shows the trooper feared for his life from the attacking dog, the release said.
Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis “expressed relief” that the trooper defended himself and was not injured, the sheriff’s office said.
There was no word on whether the dog’s owner would face any charges.
