CARROLLTON, Mo. (KCTV/Gray News) – A Missouri man is looking for answers after his beloved dog, who he said was pregnant, was shot and left in a dumpster.
The Carrollton Police Department, however, issued a statement contradicting the good-natured temperament the dog was alleged to have.
Layton Sprouse and his girlfriend, Lauryn Webb, said Dior, an American bully breed, was known to get out of the house, but was not an aggressive dog.
“She loves people and she would never be aggressive,” Sprouse said. “Yeah, she would bark at you. I mean, she’s a dog. Most dogs bark.”
He claims that Carrollton Police Department officers have been called out to the house on North Jefferson Street several times in the past for Dior getting out. Sometimes officers personally brought her back inside the gates, according to Sprouse.
That was not the case on Friday night as a police officer shot and killed Dior after she escaped for the last time. The officers claim that Dior was being aggressive and charged a person before she was fatally shot.
What happened?
According to Sprouse, while he was on his way home from work on Friday, he called someone he knew to help get Dior back in the house. Webb was also about an hour away from the house.
“I guess [Dior] was coming to them, is what they said, and barking at them. So, he jumped on the hood of the car and that’s when he said that they shot my dog, but he didn’t see it because his back was turned,” said Sprouse.
Glenda Albrecht lives across the street and said she saw the police lights. She said she wondered what was happening and hoped Dior would not get harmed.
Albrecht claimed officers were still in their vehicles after the shot rang out.
“I was going to move from the front room window to the bedroom window because the police car started driving up the road to see where they were going or what was going on, and in between there, I heard a gun go off,” she said. “The dog laid in the driveway for, had to be, 30 to 45 minutes.”
The Carrollton Police Department released a statement on Monday.
“On January 10th, 2025, an individual contacted Carroll County E-911 and advised that their neighbor’s dog had jumped the homeowner’s fence. The caller advised that the animal was a brown pit bull and known to be aggressive.
“An officer with the Carrollton Police Department responded to the area and observed the animal loose in the driveway of the residence. The officer contacted the owner via phone regarding the animal being out of the residence, and the owner advised that he and his girlfriend were out of town and requested the officer let the dog back in the residence.
“The officer was unsure on the temperament of the animal and asked the owner if he could have someone put the dog back into the confined area. An individual arrived at the residence to put the animal back into a confined area, and the animal began aggressively moving toward the individual, growling, and revealing its teeth. The individual retreated to the hood of a Carrollton Police Department vehicle. The officer requested assistance for another officer via radio as the animal was becoming more aggressive.
“The Chief of Police arrived on scene and observed the animal charging an individual. The initial officer on scene discharged one round from his service weapon, striking the dog fatally. The animal was removed from the driveway of the residence and transported to the Animal Control facility and placed in a receptacle outside.
“All reports and documents are pending review to determine the details of the incident, and ensure all policies were adhered to determine what action must be taken if necessary.”
Sprouse denied that Dior was aggressive, and said after their initial request to have her remains was denied, authorities told them she was disposed of in a nearby dumpster. He said she was not there and went back to police where they then told him she was disposed of in a dumpster by the fairgrounds.
“They threw her in the dumpster like she was a piece of trash and it was a horror scene to look at,” said Sprouse. “My dad had to dig her up out of the dumpster. Just sickening that they would do something like this.”
Sprouse said they are now seeking legal advice about this situation.
“She was very loving. She would just lick you to death,” said Webb.
Sprouse said he has cameras outside his home, but they were not pointed toward where the shooting happened. Neighbors do not have footage of the incident either.
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