Cop kills family dog after someone reports fake shooting, Ohio officials say
_fitted.png "An Ohio family lost one dog and another dog was injured when a fake shooting call was made to police.")
An Ohio family is left searching for answers after they say an emergency call about a fake shooting ended with their dog being shot and killed by an officer.
On July 21, a person called police and told the dispatcher “My mom just got shot by my dad,” according to the Columbus Dispatch.
Madison Township police and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office went to the home after the caller reported that the woman had been shot in the kitchen, according to the outlet.
When officers arrived, they made their way into the home and were met by seven dogs, FCSO Chief Deputy Marvin Hill told WBNS.
“I shut the door and I told them the dogs were in there, to not shoot the dogs, to not open the door,” Shylah Zepeda, who lives in the home, told WSYX. “And they opened the door, and all three dogs ran out. They shot and killed one of them, and the other two were injured and under the bed.”
“The officers had to respond to protect themselves,” Hill told WBNS “While doing so, one dog was shot, the other one was injured and is now at the vet and the other one is deceased.”
Tina Abshire, who lives at the home, said in a Facebook post the officers did not let them remove the dogs before it turned deadly.
“I begged and pleaded with law enforcement to please let me get my dogs and I could let them search my home, they wouldn’t listen to me or my husband. Law enforcement continued into my bedroom where I had my dogs put up and shot them as they opened the door,” she said in the post.
One dog named Zoey died instantly, and another dog, Bear, was shot four times and is currently recovering, Abshire said.
“They protect my house, my grandkids,” Leota Stout, who lives at the home, told WBNS. “My whole family can come over, but if a stranger walks in, yeah, they’re going to protect their home.”
Officers did not find anyone injured in the home and police have not said who the caller was and if it was a hoax or a swatting call, according to WSYX.
McClatchy News reached out to the Franklin Couty Sheriff’s Office and Madison Township Police for more information but did not immediately hear back.
This story was originally published July 23, 2025 at 10:28 AM with the headline "Cop kills family dog after someone reports fake shooting, Ohio officials say."
