Law enforcement officer was assigned to go and check the condition of several animals, only to then claim that he was cleared by his supervisor to put down the pets safely before killing almost all of them; charged

The 24-year-old law enforcement officer from Tennessee, later identified as Connor, was fired and later charged with aggravated cruelty to animaIs and reckless endangerment after he responded to a complaint about multiple d0gs on neighboring property, only to shoot and kill seven animaIs. The owner of the property and the animals was not present at the time of the incident. After searching for the animaIs’ owner, the responding deputy allowed a neighbor to take one of the dogs and said that he had been cleared by his supervisor to put down the remaining animals safely.

This unfortunate incident occurred earlier this month, authorities said. Several days after the event, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation conducted an inquiry and arrested the 24-year-old deputy on felony charges. During the investigation, authorities discovered that the responding deputy had made contact with the neighbor who had complained about the animals on the adjacent property. The deputy found that some of the dogs were confined in pens.

Shortly thereafter, he released some of the dogs, loaded his rifle, and began shooting at the animals. The deputy reportedly shot and killed seven dogs. The animals’ owner was not present when the shooting took place. When the owner, Kevin, arrived home, he reportedly found only one of his dogs alive — the dog had hidden under the bed. The Sheriff’s Office released a statement, saying the responding deputy had claimed he saw two animals in very poor condition and one that was already deceased.

The deputy then examined the other dogs before telling the neighbor that he was “cleared to put down the other dogs safely by his supervisor.” The animals’ owner told local news outlets that the Sheriff’s Office had been informed that his property was abandoned and that the dogs were in poor condition. However, the man says he has veterinary paperwork for the animals from three weeks prior, and all of the dogs were reported to have had a clean bill of health at that time, according to the owner.