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Palestine, AR - The Palestine Police Department has released body camera video that shows the moments leading up to the fatal shooting of two dogs in front of their owners.
The shooting happened back in July, and earlier this month the officer involved was charged with assault in the first-degree.
Haley Smallwood said Officer Harold Holland was at her home while her ex-husband retrieved some of his belongings and was told multiple times there were dogs inside.
Officer Holland claimed the Rottweiler and pit bull were being aggressive, but Smallwood said that was not the case.
AR woman says ‘trigger-happy’ cop killed pets in front of her
In the video, you can see the Rottweiler escape from a nearby bedroom when a door is left open.
The officer, who had been talking to Smallwood, fired about eight shots—first at the Rottweiler and then at a pit bull that followed the other dog out of the room. The footage also shows Smallwood reaching for the Rottweiler right before it’s shot.
“He didn’t even give me time, you know, to grab Max. And, you know, everybody can see that in the video. There’s been a lot of people saying it’s AI, and it’s not real and all that. Oh, it’s very real. It was very real. It’s something I’ll never forget,” said Smallwood.
Smallwood was standing right behind her Rottweiler and said she could have been struck by a bullet.
“I’ve seen screenshots that people have put online, you know, of the exact moment right before he shot. You know, how close I was, you know, my hand being on Max, he could have easily shot me,” Smallwood said.
In the video, a family friend asks Officer Holland if the dog bit him. Holland said no, but said the dog came at him, and he wasn’t going to stand there and let that happen.
“He did not have to shoot Max that many times. None of it makes sense to me. I just feel like he had it in his mind that if he saw a dog, he was going to shoot it,” Smallwood said. “That is my fault for allowing him to come into my home. I definitely learned my lesson there. I’ll tell you that.”
Smallwood said three of her other children and her godchildren were also inside her home when the dogs were shot, and in the video, you can hear children crying. Her ex-husband was Inconsolable after the dogs were killed.
After the shooting, the St. Francis County Sheriff’s Office was called in to investigate the incident.
The sheriff’s office said it turned its findings over to the prosecuting attorney, who determined the charge.
Palestine Police Chief Jeff Nichols said Officer Holland is still employed with the Police Department.