Dispute Erupts After Somerset County Deputy Fatally Shoots Pet Dog in Princess Anne

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The Somerset County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) is responding after coming under fire for their response to an animal complaint in Princess Anne.

On Sept. 22, a Somerset County Sheriff’s Deputy responded to a citizen’s complaint that a large dog was in the area of Chestnut Circle without a collar or leash, adding that the canine had chased a 10-year-old child into his residence. Ultimately, while responding to the scene, the deputy discharged his weapon at the aforementioned dog, killing the animal that belonged to a nearby family. The incident has drawn widespread attention on social media in recent days, prompting an official response on the altercation from SCSO.

“We recognize that pets are valued members of many families and that the loss of an animal, particularly under these circumstances, can be deeply upsetting,” a post to social media read, in part. “We understand the emotions surrounding this incident and believe the community deserves an accurate explanation of what occurred.”

Somerset County Sheriff’s Office’s Account

SCSO says that at 7:32 p.m. on Sept. 22, a deputy responded to Chestnut Circle and located the dog roaming without a collar or a leash. The officer contacted Somerset County Dog Control, who advised that the animal had a documented history of aggressive behavior, and that officers should remain inside their vehicles until Animal Control personnel were able to arrive. However, while waiting for their arrival, the deputy and an assisting Maryland State Police Trooper reportedly observed the dog run towards two pedestrians walking along Somerset Avenue. Due to their concern for the pedestrians’ safety, the officers exited their patrol vehicle’s to redirect the dog’s attention.

Shortly after exiting, the dog ran directly towards the deputy. SCSO says the deputy proceeded to discharge his department issued firearm because he believed “he faced an imminent threat of injury”. The incident was documented in an official report, and the deputy’s body-worn camera was activated during the encounter.

SCSO reviewed the body-worn camera footage and said that, although the video footage does not conclusively establish the animal’s intentions, it “corroborates the deputy’s account of the dog’s movements and he rapidly developing circumstances that led to the discharge of his firearm”.

SCSO added that they have reviewed and identified “discrepancies in the information initially provided to the deputy concerning the dog’s prior history”, but ultimately, the deputy’s actions were consistent with SCSO policy.

Social Media Posts from the Family & Neighbor

The family of the killed dog has taken to social media in recent days, criticizing the deputy’s actions and challenging SCSO’s narrative of the incident. One family member, Char Wright, says the canine was her son’s dog, affectionately known as “Slime”, and that the shooting occurred on her father’s property. She added that Slime has never been picked up by Animal Control.

“He was not attacking the officer. He was galloping in his own yard,” one post by Wright said, referencing a clip of the deputy’s body-worn camera footage. “His ears were down. His tail was wagging, he was not barking nor snarling, charging or chasing the officer in ANYWAY.!! [sic]”

Wright also took the opportunity to criticize her neighbor that reportedly called the police in the first place, saying that Slime would have never chased her son if her son had stayed on his own property. The neighbor, identified as Samantha Gill, responded on social media saying, in part, “NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS DID I THINK THEY WOULD SHOOT THAT DOG”.

Gill says her call to the authorities stemmed from Slime being outside for more than an hour after he got loose from a tether that he is usually attached to. She added that in the past, when her own dogs had gotten lose, she had been contacted to retrieve them, and assumed that Wright had not been notified since the dog was still loose.

“How could I predict that officer would act in such a way?” Gill said in a post on social media. “That obviously was out of my control, and not my intention if that were my dog I’d be raising hell too.”

Body Camera Footage Obtained by WMDT

WMDT has obtained the body-worn camera footage worn by the Somerset County Sheriff’s Deputy. In the footage, the deputy can be seen waiting in his vehicle monitoring the location of the dog as it roamed around the yard of the residence and getting the dog’s attention to keep him within eyesight.

The deputy advises a Maryland State Trooper arriving on scene to not get out of their vehicle and explains that Dog Control reported the dog as aggressive. The deputy tells the trooper, “There’s flags on this house for this dog.”

The dog is seen on video walking around the police vehicles with a wagging tail as officers keep his attention.

“I don’t know what that means,” the deputy said. “What? Wagging tail?” the trooper inquires. “It seems friendly but then they said he’s dangerous,” the deputy replies.

The deputy tells the trooper to make sure the dog doesn’t go over to anybody. The dog briefly barks unknown reason. The two responding officers discuss what the dog’s behavior means.

“Who are you barking at?” the trooper asks the dog. “See, now he’s got a different temperament, I don’t know dude,” the deputy said.

“I don’t know what he’s going to do. Last thing I want to do is hurt this poor dog,” the deputy said. “I can’t read what he’s doing, I don’t know if he’s gonna be aggressive with us or not.”

Shortly after their exchange, the officers see the dog approaching a pedestrian.

The officers exit their vehicles and try to locate the dog. “Where is it? Where’s the dog at?” the deputy asks the pedestrian, who is not visible on footage. Two voices say, “there,” and the dog can be seen bounding in the general direction of the deputy, who calls out “Nope, nope, nope!” before firing three shots.

WMDT reached out to Somerset County Dog Control, who declined to comment at this time due to their participation in the active and ongoing investigation. WMDT has also reached out to the Maryland State Police for comment on the incident.