Family speaks out after Pitt County deputy shoots dog; sheriffs office responds

PITT COUNTY, N.C. (WITN) – A woman in the east is distraught right after a Pitt County Sheriff’s Deputy shot and killed her canine in her front lawn.

Teshia Sykes says she yelled at two Pitt County deputies in her garden to not shoot her dog, Simba, who the Pitt County Sheriff’s business states was attacking a deputy’s K9.

Through the commotion, Sykes says she ran inside her house to question her fiancé to enable.

“But just before he experienced the possibility to get out the home, we read a gunshot,” Sykes mentioned.

In accordance to the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office, a deputy deployed a taser on Simba initially and gave instructions for Sykes to retrieve their pet dog. When the pet ongoing to assault the K9, the deputy shot Simba and he ran away and eventually died.

But what led up to the taking pictures?

On January 31, just immediately after 10 p.m. Sykes’ daughter, Kezia Brown, suggests she was going for walks Simba on a leash in their property off Barrus Design Street.

She observed a car parked in the street with its superior beams on. It startled her so she ran back to her house and on the way, Simba noticed the two deputies and K9 nearby. He charged in their path with so a lot pressure that the leash received out of Kezia’s hand and Simba attacked the K9.

“Simba was every thing to us,” Brown said. “He was not just a canine and I think that’s what they don’t fully grasp.”

According to the Pitt County Sheriff’s Place of work, the deputies were being in the area looking for a suspect in a larceny in Edgecombe County.

A male suspect jumped and ran from the motor vehicle and a K9 deputy responded to support with the look for and all through the search is when they say Simba attacked the K9.

Sykes tells WITN she has submitted a complaint and she ideas on taking authorized action in opposition to the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office environment as soon as she finds an attorney.

A comprehensive assertion from the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office environment can be observed down below.

On the evening of January 31, 2023 just one of our deputies stopped a motor vehicle in the region of Outdated River Rd and Barrus Development Rd. simply because it was needed as a suspect auto in a larceny in Edgecombe County. A male suspect jumped and ran from the auto. A K-9 Deputy responded to assist and deployed his working law enforcement pet in the region. The canine picked up a scent and commenced monitoring the suspect.

At one position even though tracking the scent, a civilian doggy came from the front of a residence and attacked the Sheriff’s Business K9. The civilian puppy bit our K9 in the back hind-quarter. Our deputy shouted to the dog’s proprietor a number of situations offering instructions for them to retrieve their puppy. One more deputy on scene deployed a Taser which did make call and triggered the canine to independent from the functioning K9 but did not quit the fight. The civilian doggy ongoing to attack our K9 and our deputy yet again gave instructions for the owner to retrieve their pet. Our K9 was ready to reach actual physical separation from the civilian pet dog. The pet dog once again tried using to assault our K9 and at that time the deputy fired a person spherical from his responsibility weapon to stop the struggle, shield the doing the job pet, and enable the group to carry on their mission of tracking the escaping suspect. The civilian puppy ran away from the place when the shot was fired.

The suspect in the circumstance ended up escaping. As quickly as the chase was terminated the optimum rating supervisor on obligation responded to the scene of the incident and fulfilled with the house owner to check on the pet and get a report. Now the dog’s owner arrived to the Sheriff’s Office environment to file a criticism.