Current:Home > FinancePolice say an Amazon driver shot a dog in self-defense. The dog’s family hired an attorney. -FundWay
Police say an Amazon driver shot a dog in self-defense. The dog’s family hired an attorney.
View
Date:2025-04-24 10:19:09
An Alabama family has hired an attorney after one of their dogs was shot and injured Sunday by an Amazon driver attempting to deliver a package to their home outside of Birmingham.
Police in Hueytown, located about 13 miles southwest of Birmingham, declined to charge the driver after determining that he shot the dog in self-defense. But the Kirk family claims that the dog was chained on the porch and that the driver had no reason to be on their property since they had not ordered a package.
“If you notice dogs, why are you steadily walking toward the dog if they’re a threat to you?” Rose Kirk, the homeowner, told WLBT. “If I don’t know a dog, I’m not going to go near it.”
Dismembered farm animals:Deaths of goats, chicken found at University of Rochester may be 'religious in nature'
Surveillance footage shows shooting of dog
Kirk told Birmingham news stations that she was inside her home with her children Sunday night when she saw the Amazon delivery truck parked outside her home.
Moments later, she said she heard a single gunshot.
In surveillance video released by the family to local news stations, the two smaller dogs, Solar and Lunar, can be seen lounging on the porch of the home as the driver slowly approaches. When he notices the dogs, he can be seen drawing a handgun and shooting Solar as both dogs run off the porch toward him.
"He noticed them, but instead of backing off, he did not back off," Kirk told WLBT, adding that she hadn't even been expecting a package. "He had no reason to be on my property.”
Patrol officers with the Hueytown Police Department were dispatched to Kirk's home and interviewed the driver, who had fled down the road.
"It was reported that the dog was being very aggressive and charged at the delivery driver," the department said in a news release shared on Facebook. "The driver, who was armed, fired a single shot at the dog in an attempt to get away."
"Through the investigation by patrol officers on scene, it was determined that there was nothing more to this investigation rather than a delivery driver attempting to defend himself," the release said.
Kirk family hires attorney
The family rescued both dogs in 2017 from the Birmingham Humane Society, according to WLBT.
Solar survived the shooting, but now suffers from internal bleeding after the bullet entered his shoulder and exited his chest, according to the family. The family has set up a GoFundMe page seeking donations to cover the cost of Solar's veterinary expenses.
The Kirk family has also hired a Birmingham-based attorney "as legal counsel to investigate the matter," according to a statement provided to 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," attorney Travis McCormick said in the statement. "Solar is still recovering at this time from his injuries and remains under the care of his veterinarian. However, the family remains hopeful that Solar will soon make a full recovery and return back to his loving family that misses him dearly."
Amazon said drivers prohibited from carrying guns
The shooting occurred around the same time that a woman in Georgia accused an Amazon driver of attempting to steal her family's puppy from their front yard.
Whether or employed by Amazon or a third party, the company's drivers are prohibited from carrying firearms regardless of state and local laws, Austin Stowe, an Amazon spokesperson told USA TODAY in a statement. Delivery drivers are, however, permitted to carry non-lethal deterrents for self-defense as long as they are legal.
“We are in touch with the customer and we’ve reached out to Hueytown Police Department as they investigate," Stowe said in the statement. "The driver involved is no longer delivering packages for Amazon.”
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com
veryGood! (1)
Related
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- Mayan Lopez Shares the Items She Can't Live Without, From Dreamy Body Creams to Reusable Grocery Bags
- World Bank Favors Fossil Fuel Projects in Developing Countries, Report Says
- Tribe Says Army Corps Stonewalling on Dakota Access Pipeline Report, Oil Spill Risk
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- American Climate Video: How Hurricane Michael Destroyed Tan Smiley’s Best Laid Plans
- Honda recalls nearly 1.2 million cars over faulty backup camera
- Fossil Fuel Emissions Push Greenhouse Gas Indicators to Record High in May
- Former Danish minister for Greenland discusses Trump's push to acquire island
- Taylor Hawkins' Son Shane Honors Dad by Performing With Foo Fighters Onstage
Ranking
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Elizabeth Holmes Begins 11-Year Prison Sentence in Theranos Fraud Case
- Latest Bleaching of Great Barrier Reef Underscores Global Coral Crisis
- Pink’s Nude Photo Is Just Like Fire
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- The Little Mermaid: Halle Bailey’s Locs and Hair Extensions Cost $150,000
- American Climate Video: As Hurricane Michael Blew Ashore, One Young Mother Had Nowhere to Go
- Montana bridge collapse sends train cars into Yellowstone River, prompting federal response
Recommendation
New Zealand official reverses visa refusal for US conservative influencer Candace Owens
Kylie Jenner Officially Kicks Off Summer With 3 White Hot Looks
Sia Shares She's on the Autism Spectrum 2 Years After Her Controversial Movie
Khloe Kardashian Captures Adorable Sibling Moment Between True and Tatum Thompson
Paige Bueckers vs. Hannah Hidalgo highlights women's basketball games to watch
Battered by Matthew and Florence, North Carolina Must Brace for More Intense Hurricanes
Raiders' Davante Adams assault charge for shoving photographer dismissed
Love Is Blind's Paul Peden Reveals New Romance After Micah Lussier Breakup