SC trooper was justified in fatally shooting a dog, sheriff says. Here’s the reasoning

A dog was shot and killed Sunday by a South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper, but the law enforcement officer was exonerated from any crime, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office said Monday night.

The shooting happened at about 11 a.m. Sunday at a Wedgefield home, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

The trooper went to the home to deliver paperwork, according to the release. There was no word if the paperwork was delivered.

Dogs started barking as the trooper slowly approached the home, according to both a witness and footage from the trooper’s body-worn camera, the sheriff’s office said. The trooper then turned to walk back to his patrol vehicle and “looked back just in time” to see a pit bull charge in his direction after coming out from underneath the home, according to the release.

The trooper yelled, “Get back!” and shot the dog to defend himself from the attack, the sheriff’s office said.

The dog did not hurt the trooper, according to the release. Other than the pit bull who died, no other injuries were reported.

A sheriff’s office deputy responded to the home and interviewed the family who owned the dog as well as the trooper. After an investigation, the sheriff’s office determined that the trooper’s actions were justifiable as evidence shows the trooper was in fear for his life from the attacking dog, according to the release.

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 if the dog’s owner faced any charges.