In Sturgeon, Missouri (United States), the Teddy case has left a lasting impact on residents. In May 2024, this five-year-old Shih Tzu, who was deaf and blind, was killed by a police officer who responded after a local resident called for help.
The man simply wanted the dog, who had escaped from his owner's home, to be returned to him.
Police officer fires bullet at dog
When officers arrived at the scene, they struggled to catch the small dog, who was very disoriented. One of the officers chased him into a field, without success. The entire scene was captured on his body camera. In footage that was initially censored, the officer can be seen firing a bullet at Teddy, fatally wounding him.
The justification given by the municipality – that the officer believed the dog was rabid or seriously injured – only fuelled the anger. The mayor at the time, who had defended the officer, eventually resigned. His successor suspended the police officer, but no internal investigation was carried out.
Teddy's owner's lawyers also condemned a complete lack of training for officers regarding animal handling. They pointed out that at the time of his suspension, the officer had even received compensation of 16,000 dollars.
Justice is served
On Friday 14th November, the city finally accepted a settlement. 282,500 dollars (approximately £200,000) will be paid to the dog's owner, and 217,500 dollars (approximately £154,000) to his lawyers. The total compensation therefore amounts to 500,000 dollars, or £354,000.
For the owner, this gesture changes nothing. "Nothing will bring Teddy back. He was a good dog, he didn't deserve this," his lawyers said. They now hope that this case will serve as a lesson, and that police services will strengthen their training to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
