Dog shot
Clayton, NC (US)Incident Date: Sunday, Jan 16, 2005
County: Johnston
Disposition: Not Charged
Person of Interest: Jimmy Pruitt
An ongoing feud between Johnston County neighbors turned violent Sunday night, when a family pet was gunned down. Michael Dodson said his family was watching a movie at about 6:30 p.m. Sunday when he heard four popping sounds outside.
"I walked outside, and I checked on my dog. He was there, so I closed the door because he likes to stay outside," Dodson told NBC-17. "After the last pop, I opened the door again, and I noticed that he was in a pool of blood, dead."
The Rhodesian ridgeback, named Roc, was gentle despite its large size, said Dodson's mother, Barbara Rice.
"That dog's part of this family. And he was so funny, he was entertaining, and he was a joy," Rice said. "As big as he was -- 100 pounds -- he'd get up in your lap, thought he was a little dog. But he was just a pleasure."
Neighbor Jimmy Pruitt told authorities he broke up a fight between his dog and Roc on his property before shooting the dog from his front yard.
The Johnston County Sheriff's Office has closed its case on the incident, ruling Pruitt's actions "a justifiable shooting" because Pruitt was protecting his dog and his property.
But Rice said Pruitt has fired a gun in their subdivision and has threatened people and animals before. She's concerned there could be more violence in the future.
"For a long time, though, Mr. Pruitt has given the neighborhood a run for our money," Rice said. "I hope he rots in hell. And that's a very bad thing for me to say being a Christian, but he deserves it. He's terrorized people in this neighborhood."
Rice said she doesn't believe his account because an electric fence kept Roc in her yard. Also, a veterinarian examined the dog's remains Monday morning and said it didn't appear the animal had been in a fight before it was killed.
"The way the vehicles were parked, he had to come on the property to shoot the dog," Rice said. "The dog was lying down on the porch, and he was on the porch at 10 minutes prior to. He had to come in the yard and go between two vehicles to shoot him. Otherwise, he couldn't access him."
Dodson said the incident is far from closed for his family, noting they likely will file charges and a civil lawsuit.
"If he's going to do that and not care, then you know, what is he going to do next? Is he going to come over here and rampage our house and try to kill us too? I mean, this is ridiculous." References« NC State Animal Cruelty Map
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