An Amazon delivery driver shot a dog while making a delivery in Alabama to a person who said she was not expecting a package.
Hueytown police responded to a home in the 1000 block of 26th Avenue on a report of a dog that had been shot on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Hueytown is about 15 miles southwest of Birmingham.
Officers learned that as the driver was making a delivery to a residence, the dog emerged from under the porch of the home, police said in a news release.
“It was reported that the dog was being very aggressive and charged at the delivery driver,” police said.
The driver fired a single shot at the dog in an attempt to get away, and left the scene, officials said. That driver was later interviewed by officers.
Police determined that the driver was attempting to defend himself, and the driver was not charged in the incident.
However, Rose Kirk, the owner of the dog and the residence in question, disputes the police’s self-defense claim — and says she had never ordered a package to begin with.
Kirk told WBRC of Birmingham, Alabama, that her two dogs Solar and Lunar were lying in chairs under the porch on Sunday when she heard a gunshot by her front door.
When she went to investigate, she found Solar had been shot in the shoulder, and the bullet exited through his chest.
“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,” Kirk said. “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 continued.
An online fundraiser has been made for the dog’s medical bills.
Kirk’s family has hired an attorney to investigate the matter, USA TODAY reported. NBC News has reached out to attorney Travis McCormick for comment.
McCormick told USA TODAY: “At this time, the focus of the Kirk family is on the continued recovery of Solar and working to heal themselves emotionally after this tragedy.”
The driver is no longer employed by Amazon, company spokesperson Austin Stowe told NBC News.
“We are in touch with the customer and we’ve reached out to Hueytown Police Department as they investigate,” Stowe said
It’s against Amazon’s policies for employees who deliver for the company to carry weapons. However, delivery associates and Amazon Flex delivery partners are allowed to carry dog deterrent devices as long as they comply with state and local laws.
