Woman Claims Cop Tased and Killed Her Dog, Deputy Denies Allegations

A grieving pet parent has alleged that her local law enforcement killed her small dog after they Tasered the pet.

Chelle Adkins of Alabama remained steadfast in her allegations against the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department in a report with WHNT, despite the sheriff's claims that his men are innocent.

The outlet reported that police were summoned to Adkins' house on Sunday morning after a call indicated a domestic dispute in her household. Her boyfriend and her Yorkie named Trigger remained inside while she tried to talk to officers outside.

Adkins claimed that as the situation escalated, officers forced open the front door and used a Taser upon entering the residence. She believed that in addition to aiming for her boyfriend, they also targeted Trigger.

According to bodycam footage released by Sheriff Rick Singleton, once the officers open the door, they utilize the Taser immediately on the man inside. Although Trigger is seen in the corner, the camera turns away as the weapon goes off and the man falls backward.

The video ends with both the man yelling and Trigger yelping in distress.

Adkins noted that within hours of the deputy's house call, Trigger passed away. She and her emergency vet allegedly believe his death was caused by the police visit, and that his small body couldn't handle the electrocution from the Taser they used.

"They took him straight and put him on oxygen and did X-rays and that's when they realized that he had been electrocuted," she said. "The vet stated there were no bruises, no nothing, there were no fractures, no bones broke, no anything that would've consisted of anybody falling on him."

Sherrif Singleton told The Times Daily that, based on the footage available, the dog was not targeted by his officers during the domestic call.

"When they unlocked the door, the man was standing front and center," Singleton said in an official statement. "The deputy fired one Taser round striking the man, not the dog, and the man fell."

Singleton said that as tragic as Trigger's death was, his fatal injuries were not sustained by the Taser.

"The wires are coated on the Taser; you're not supposed to be electrocuted or shocked by just touching the wires," he told WHNT. "You'd have to touch both of them if it did shock you so we really don't know what happened to the puppy."

Despite Singleton denying the allegations, Adkins still firmly believes that his officers brought her dog's untimely death.

"My grandkids and my kids and everybody — nobody can fathom the idea of how this has happened and how it's come about that he is the victim out of this whole situation," she said to WHNT.

The use of Tasers has become a highly contentious topic in recent weeks. In February, four officials in Iowa were charged with the unauthorized use of a Taser against a civilian for cash.