An Arkansas sheriff’s deputy was fired after shooting a barking Chihuahua in the head Friday, an incident officials labeled “disheartening.”
Faulkner County Sheriff Tim Ryals said in a statement Saturday that deputy Keenan Wallace had been terminated after it was determined there were “numerous opportunities to de-escalate the incident.”
Cellphone video of the encounter shows Wallace opening fire on the dog — named Reese’s — within feet of its owner, Doug Canady. Police say the incident began following a call for service for an “aggressive” dog at Canady’s home.
Canady told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette that police were called by a woman standing in the road in front of his home, who pointed a gun toward his property.