An Amazon delivery driver shot this dog, Solar, say police. Cops said it was an attempt at self-defense. The canine’s owner said it was unjustified. (Inset: Kirk family GoFundMe; screenshot: WBRC)
Police in Hueytown, Alabama, won’t charge an Amazon delivery driver for shooting and injuring a dog named Solar, but the canine’s owner voiced outrage, saying that her pet was chained and that the driver had no reason to be on her property. She stated she had not ordered a package.
“When I saw all the blood dripping from my dog, and I was like, my dog was on a leash. He was on a chain,” said Rose Kirk, according to Birmingham Fox affiliate WBRC. “Why would you come up on my porch? Both of them were sitting in their chairs. He noticed them, but instead of backing off, he did not back off. Suppose he had a package to deliver, which I never ordered a package. He had no reason to be on my property.”
She called the shooting reckless.
“You can see where the bullet ricocheted, and it was right by our door,” she said.
Police responded to a report that a dog had been shot on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. at a home in the 1000 block of 26th Avenue, according to cops.
“Upon arrival, officers learned that a delivery driver was making a delivery to a residence,” they wrote. “As the delivery driver approached the porch of the residence to deliver the package, a dog came out from under the porch. It was reported that the dog was being very aggressive and charged at the delivery driver. The driver, who was armed, fired a single shot at the dog in an attempt to get away. The delivery driver left the scene and was interviewed by patrol officers down the road. Through the investigation by patrol officers on scene, it was determined that there was nothing more to this investigation rather than a delivery driver attempting to defend himself.”
A GoFundMe campaign to support Solar said that both Solar and his sister, Lunar, were chained.
“He loves being around people, cuddling, and most of all protecting his family,” the GoFundMe stated.
Kirk said she was at home with her children when an Amazon truck arrived at their home, according to WBRC. Solar and Lunar were lying in chairs on the porch, she said.
“The next thing I know, I just heard a gunshot right by my front door, and I heard my dog make that little sound,” Kirk said.
The bullet entered Solar’s shoulder and exited his chest, requiring surgery costing thousands of dollars, she said.
The family released surveillance footage of the incident. You can see it below.
[Warning: Video is disturbing]
Maintaining that the shooting was not in self-defense, Rose questioned why the driver approached.
“If you notice dogs, why are you steadily walking toward the dog if they’re a threat to you?” Kirk said. “If I don’t know a dog, I’m not going to go near it.”
Amazon said in an email to Law&Crime that it is against their policies for their delivery workers to carry weapons, though “delivery associates and Amazon Flex delivery partners are free to carry dog deterrent devices” as long as they stick to state and local laws.
“We are in touch with the customer and we’ve reached out to Hueytown Police Department as they investigate,” spokesperson Austin Stowe wrote. “The driver involved is no longer delivering packages for Amazon.”
Stowe said the driver no longer works for Amazon.
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