CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) — No charges have been filed against a delivery driver accused of shooting and killing the dog of actress Angie Harmon as she and her daughters stood nearby.
The shooting happened outside the “Law and Order” actress’ home in south Charlotte, North Carolina, just before noon Saturday.
“You’ve not only robbed us of a beloved member of our family but you’ve also traumatized us beyond measure,” Harmon said on Instagram.
Police believe the incident was done in self-defense.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department confirmed to Nexstar’s WJZY on Monday evening that the driver “told officers that a dog attacked him while he was at the residence and that he defended himself by firing a single gunshot, striking and mortally wounding the dog. Another dog was present at the residence but did not attack.
“No criminal charges have been filed in relation to this incident, and CMPD is not currently seeking any additional parties.”
WJZY Chief Legal Analyst Khalif Rhodes explained that charges typically come out of the belief that the driver had reason to fear for his life.
“If you’re saying this dog is an elderly dog that’s limping down the street barely barking – a reasonable person might not think that. But if it’s charging down the street at you barking aggressively, maybe they would,” he explained.
Harmon took to Instagram to share her grief and to offer a different point of view. She said her dog was not a threat and that the shooting happened close to her and her daughters.
In her post, she wrote:
This Easter weekend a man delivering groceries for Instacart shot & killed our precious Oliver. He got out of his car, delivered the food & THEN shot our dog.
Our Ring camera was charging in the house, which he saw & then knew he wasn’t being recorded. The police let him go b/c he claimed “self defense.” He did not have a scratch or bite on him nor were his pants torn…
He shot our dog with my daughters & myself at home & just kept saying, “yeah, I shot your dog. Yeah I did.”
We are completely traumatized & beyond devastated at the loss of our beloved boy & family member.
Delivery company Instacart responded, stating that the driver, who does not have a history of prior incidents, has been suspended. The company also said carrying weapons while providing the service is against the company’s safety guidelines.
While criminal charges have not been filed, Rhodes explained that civil lawsuits could come from this.
“There could be two potential lawsuits,” he explained. “The driver could sue them for putting him in a situation …. And then the family could sue him and the delivery service. Because now you’ve had this loss of life for our dog, and you’ll have a number of things that they’ll be able to point to specifically, the emotional trauma that’s connected with that.”
